Ante: How a Small Bet Makes Big Impact in Poker

If you’ve ever played poker, you know that there are different ways to start a pot. One of them is ante. But what exactly is ante?

What is Ante in Poker?

Ante is a forced bet that every player must make before the cards are dealt in a poker game. The size of it is usually between 10-20% of the big blind. 

The idea: Poker would be boring without mandatory bets: players could play only the strongest hands and fold the rest. Why take the risk if there’s no money in the bank?

How Ante Works?

For example, in a $2/$4 Stud game, the ante could be $0.40 or $0.60 per player. Here is how ante affects the pot size in a poker game:

As you can see, the pot size increases as the number of players do. The formula for calculating the pot size from the antes is:

Pot Size = Ante Size x Number of Players

Using this formula, we can see how the pot size increases as the number of players do. For example, in a game with 8 players and a $0.40 ante, the pot size is:

Pot Size = 0.40 x 8= $3.2

Where to Play with Ante?

Ante is common in poker tournaments. This prevents players from waiting for premium hands. Some tournaments (the WSOP) use a big blind ante, which means that only one player pays the ante for the entire table.

Ante is always used in these games, regardless of the stakes or the format:

• Seven Card Stud: Players receive 7 cards (3 face down and 4 face up) and try to make the best 5-card hand.
• Five Card Draw: Players receive 5 cards face down and can exchange up to 3 cards for new ones.
• Badugi: Players try to make the lowest 4-card hand with different suits.
• Razz: A lowball variant of Stud where the lowest hand wins.

In games like HORSE or 8-Game, ante is used only in some rounds and not in others. For example, in HORSE, ante is used in Razz, Stud, and Stud Hi/Lo rounds, but not in Hold’em and Omaha Hi/Lo rounds.

Note: Omaha cash games and Texas Hold’em only use blinds. 

Ante vs Blinds