Ante in poker means a bet that must be placed before any cards are dealt. It is a mandatory or forced wager that must be made if you wish to participate in the hand. An ante bet is common in stud poker however many community card games such as Texas Hold’em also require an ante bet, especially in late stages of tournaments. Ante bets are required in addition to the blinds in such games and are not an exception to them.
What is to Ante up?
To ante up is to simply post your ante bet, it is the act of placing the bet and contributing money to the pot. An example would be that at the start of the hand in a live game that someone forgets to post their ante and the dealer may say, “You need to ante up.”
Why are ante’s required?
Ante bets mean that everyone is contributing to the pot and they increase the relative value of playing the hand instead of folding. Only 2 players need post blinds however when all players are posting ante’s it means that all players in the hand have at least some interest in it.
Ante up at Americas Cardroom
Post your ante’s at Americas Cardroomand get in on the action at this great US friendly online poker room. There’s a huge selection of cash games and tournaments and of course all new players will get a great welcome bonus of up to $1,000. There’s plenty of promotions too such as the progressive points race The Beast which pays out monster prizes twice monthly, as well as plenty of monthly specials and a fantastic loyalty program.
