In the later levels of poker tournaments, an ante is introduced to further drive the action besides the incentive to enter the pot formed by the small blind and big blind. Typically, the ante is paid by every player at the table.

Antes are mandatory bets that are sometimes posted by all players at the table, or by the big blind player in some formats. For example, aR$2/$5 cash game with aR$1 ante requires each player at the table to putR$1 in the pot before each hand.