Ante

Every online poker player needs to be familiarized with the meaning of the term "ante". The ante is the initial amount of money put in the pot before betting.

The ante ensures every player has put an initial stake and that if a player folds immediately after the starting round, that player will lose some amount of money.

At the start of the online poker game, every player throws a predetermined ante into the pot, which usually consists of the same amount of chips as the minimum game bet.

Some online poker variations, such as Texas Holdem Poker, have the roles of blinds as antes. These are two players sitting left of the dealer that are the only players to put their ante into the pot. The small blind is the poker player who puts the minimum bet ante and the big blind is the player who puts double that amount into the pot.