What is an ante in a No-Limit poker game?

Question

How does it differ from a blind and when does one have to pay it?

Answer 1

An ante in a poker game is an amount that everyone has to play preflop, and does not count as part of the bet. A blind is an amount that is paid preflop that counts as part of the bet

Antes only occur in No Limit in the latter stages of a tournament. For Example, a typical tournament may start with a small blind of $25 and big blind of $50 with no antes. A few rounds later, the small blind may be $200 and the Big Blind may be $400 with a $25 ante. If this was a 10 person table, there would be $850 dollars in the pot preflop ($200+$400+$25*10), and it would still be $400 for everyone to call (the small blind would only have to call $200 and the big blind can check) if nobody raised preflop

Answer 2

Ante
An ante is a forced bet in which each player places an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each player. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal.

Blinds
A blind or blind bet is a forced bet placed into the pot by one or more players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates bets made during play. The most common use of blinds as a betting structure calls for two blinds: the player after the dealer blinds about half of what would be a normal bet, and the next player blinds what would be a whole bet. Sometimes only one blind is used, and sometimes three. In the case of three blinds (usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet amount), the first blind goes "on the button", that is, is paid by the dealer.

For example, in a $2-$4 limit game, the first player to the dealer's left (who, if not for the blinds, would be the first to act) makes a blind bet of $1, and the next player in turn posts a big blind of $2. After the cards are dealt, play begins with the next player in turn (third from the dealer), who must either call $2, raise, or fold. When the betting returns to the player who blinded $1, he must equal the bet facing him (toward which he may count his $1), raise, or fold. If there have been no raises when action first gets to the big blind (that is, the bet amount facing him is just the amount of the big blind he posted), the big blind has the option to raise or check. This right to raise (called the option) occurs only once: if his raise is now called by every player, the first betting round closes as usual.
In some fixed-limit and spread-limit games, the big blind amount may be less than the normal betting minimum. Players acting after a sub-minimum blind have the right to call the blind as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round might have blinds of $1 and $2. Players acting after the blind may either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal limits.