Blinds

Blinds

Why don't players just fold until they get pocket aces?

This is prevented by forcing each player to pay a "tax" on the hands he plays. This tax comes in the form of blind bets commonly called blinds. Each hand, one player at the table puts in a big blind (BB), and the player in front of him puts in a small blind (SB). In most games, the small blind is half the size of the big blind. The big blind is usually the size of a small bet in a limit game.

For example, in a $2-$4 Limit game:
Small Blind: $1
Big Blind: $2
Small Bet: $2 (preflop and flop)
Big Bet: $4 (turn and river)

The blinds are paid regardless of whether the player likes his cards or not. The other players must call (or raise) the blind bet, or else they must fold. The player in the small blind must make up the difference between the BB and SB in order to stay in the hand. So if the big blind was $2 and the small blind was $1, the player in the small blind would have to pay $1 to call.