Positions at the poker table
What UTG, the cutoff, the button and the blinds mean, who acts when, and why position is worth so much.
Where you sit relative to the dealer button changes the value of every hand you hold. Acting after your opponents means you see what they do before you decide. That information is worth chips, every single hand.
The seats, by name
At a six-handed table, going clockwise from the button:
| Seat | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| BTN | Button | The dealer. Acts last on the flop, turn and river: the best seat at the table. |
| SB | Small blind | Posts half a big blind. First to act after the flop: the worst seat. |
| BB | Big blind | Posts a full big blind. Acts last preflop, but second after the flop. |
| UTG | Under the gun | First to act preflop, with everyone still to come behind. |
| HJ | Hijack | Two seats right of the button. |
| CO | Cutoff | Directly right of the button. The second-best seat. |
At a full nine-handed table there are three more early seats:
UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2 are early position, the lojack (LJ) and hijack (HJ) are middle position, and the cutoff (CO) and button (BTN) are late position.
Who acts when
- Preflop, action starts left of the big blind (UTG) and ends with the big blind.
- On the flop, turn and river, action starts with the first player still in the hand left of the button, so the small blind if they are still in, and the button acts last.
The button moves one seat left every hand, so over an evening everyone sits in every position equally often.
Why position is worth so much
Imagine the flop comes K♥8♦3♣ and you hold Q♠Q♦.
- Out of position, you must act first. If you bet and get raised, you do not know whether your opponent has a king, a set or nothing. If you check, you may be giving a free card.
- In position, you watch them act first. A check tells you something; a big bet tells you something else. You also control the size of the pot: you can check behind to keep it small or bet to build it.
Acting last also lets you bluff more cheaply, because a check from your opponent often means weakness, and value bet better, because you see how they react before you size your bet.
What this means for which hands you play
Because late positions are so much easier to play, good players play more hands the closer they are to the button, and fewer from the early seats. A rough guide for a six-handed game where everyone has folded to you:
At a nine-handed table the early seats should be tighter still, because more players are left to act behind you. The exact hands are in the opening range charts.
The blinds are special
The blinds already have chips in the pot, which makes calling cheaper, but they act first for the rest of the hand. That is why even good players lose money from the blinds over time: the aim there is to lose as little as possible. See playing from the blinds.
Key points
- The button is the best seat; the small blind is the worst after the flop.
- Play tighter in early position and looser in late position.
- When you are out of position, prefer simpler, stronger hands and smaller pots.