Cash Game Missed Blinds Rules: Posting Dead Money And Buying The Button Explained
In Live Cash Games, A Returning Player Who Missed Their Blinds Must Either Wait For The Big Blind Seat, Post Both Blinds (Big Blind Live + Small Blind Dead), Or Buy The Button By Posting Both Blinds From The Cutoff Seat.
Official TDA & RROP Floor Ruling Procedure
Under Robert's Rules Of Poker (Section 5: Blinds), Cash Game Players Who Leave Their Seat And Miss Either The Big Blind Or Both Blinds Incur A Missed-Blind Button Marker. To Re-Enter Action Immediately Without Waiting For The Natural Big Blind Seat, The Player Must Post A Sum Equal To The Missed Blinds: One Full Big Blind Is Posted As A Live Blind And The Missed Small Blind Is Posted As Dead Money Placed Directly Into The Center Pot. If The Player Re-Enters Exactly Between The Small Blind And The Button ("Buying The Button"), They Post Both Blinds, Act Last Preflop Behind The Real Blinds, And Receive The Actual Dealer Button On The Very Next Hand.
Common Live Table Scenarios & Official Floor Decisions
How Tournament Directors And Cardroom Floor Supervisors Apply Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button In Real-World Disputes:
In A $2/$5 Cash Game, A Player Returns From Dinner With Both Missed Blind Buttons And Wants To Be Dealt In Immediately From Middle Position.
The Player Posts A Live $5 Big Blind Plus A Dead $2 Small Blind ($7 Total). If Another Player Raises To $20, Only The Live $5 Counts Toward The Call (Requiring $15 More).
A Returning Player Waits Until The Seat Immediately To The Right Of The Dealer Button (Cutoff) To Post Their Missed Blinds.
This Is "Buying The Button": The Player Posts $5 Live + $2 Dead, Plays This Hand From The Cutoff, And Then Receives The Dealer Button On The Next Hand While The Two Players To Their Left Post The Regular Blinds.
In A Tournament, A Player Is Away From The Table For Three Orbits And Returns To Their Seat.
In Tournaments, Blinds And Antes Are Posted Automatically Every Orbit By The Dealer From The Absent Player's Stack, So There Is Never Any Missed Blind Makeup Upon Return.
Related Poker Math Calculators
Verify Exact Equity, Pot Sizing, And Side-Pot Allocations Associated With This Rule:
Connected Poker Glossary Definitions
Review Official Definitions For Core Terms Referenced In This Floor Ruling:
Frequently Asked Questions: Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button
Is It Mathematically Better To Post Missed Blinds In Middle Position Or Wait For The Big Blind?
Waiting For The Natural Big Blind Or Buying The Button Is Always Higher EV Because Posting Dead Money Out Of Position In Middle Seats Donates Extra Blinds Without Positional Advantage.
Do New Players Sitting Down At A Cash Table Have To Post A Big Blind?
Most Modern Live Cardrooms Allow Brand-New Players (And Table-Change Transfers) To Be Dealt In Immediately Without Posting A Blind, Provided They Do Not Sit Directly Between The Small Blind And The Button.
Journalists, Bloggers, Forum Authors, And Academic Researchers May Freely Cite This Dataset Under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 With Canonical Attribution To Smarter.Poker:
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures) (Smarter.Poker Research)</a>
<a href="https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures)"><img src="https://smarter.poker/api/seo/badge?type=research&label=Official%20Floor%20Ruling&value=RROP%20Section%205%20%2F%20Live%20Cardroom%20Procedures" alt="Official Floor Ruling: RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures" height="28" /></a>
[Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures) (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures)](https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button)
[url=https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button]Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures) (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures)[/url]
{{cite web |title=Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures) |url=https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button |website=Smarter.Poker |publisher=Smarter Software Inc. |year=2026 |access-date=2026-11-09}}According to Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures) published by Smarter.Poker (https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button), In Live Cash Games, A Returning Player Who Missed Their Blinds Must Either Wait For The Big Blind Seat, Post Both Blinds (Big Blind Live + Small Blind Dead), Or Buy The Button By Posting Both Blinds From The Cutoff Seat.
@techreport{poker_rule_missed_blinds_posting_and_buying_the_button_2026,
title = {Missed Blinds, Posting Dead & Buying The Button (RROP Section 5 / Live Cardroom Procedures)},
author = {{Smarter.Poker Research Division}},
institution = {Smarter.Poker},
year = {2026},
url = {https://smarter.poker/rules/missed-blinds-posting-and-buying-the-button}
}Smarter.Poker Is A Free-To-Play Poker Training, Rules Reference, And Social Community Platform. 18+. Club Chips And Diamonds Have No Cash Value.