Poker Button Position

You don’t have to play poker for very long to realise the importance of a player’s betting position at a poker table. A late position will give you a huge advantage, since you’ll get to act after everyone else has.

On the other hand, an early position might seal your hand’s fate before the later streets arrive, since everyone else at the table will act after you do.

In this post, we’ll take on the ‘button’ position in poker — also known as the ‘dealer position’. This is the last position at a poker table, providing an incredibly huge advantage to whichever player sits in this position.

WHAT DOES BUTTON POSITION MEAN IN POKER?

In this post, we’ll analyse the button position in poker, which is the last position to act in each street. How can you know which player sits in this position, exactly? Well, the answer is pretty simple in this case: the player who holds the dealer position in poker is the one who occupies the button. Each position in poker is determined by the dealer position, but in this case, we’re talking about the position that dictates the order in which poker players get to act.

The order in which poker players act changes from one game to another since the dealer position shifts by one placement. This guarantees that all players will get equal time to act in each betting position at some point.

ADVANTAGES OF THE BUTTON POSITION

You simply cannot ask for a better early position when playing at a poker table. With a few strong advantages to it, the button position in poker is the most desirable position to be in. Here’s why.

• Free to see players act before you – With every player sitting at the table acting before you, you are free to observe each player’s behaviour in relation to their hands. Poker players betting aggressively before you will not be as detrimental to you compared to players in an early position, since you’ll be free to fold without losing money in the pot.
• Allows for effective bluffing – Playing at such a late position means that you are free to bet aggressively (bet or raise) — be it through a semi-bluff or a conventional bluff. When in this position, other players will not have had a chance to gauge the strength of your hand.
• Allows for a wider range to be played – Acting at such a late position in poker means that you can get away with weak or marginal hands. If all the other players have checked or placed a small bet, all you have to do is check or call to progress to the next street, in which your hand might become stronger. This also makes it easier to reach showdown with a wide range of hands.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE BUTTON POSITION

The button position in poker is far from the worst position to be in. Having said that, some poker players might have an issue with such a late position.

• Does not allow for an early bluff – A big raise from an early position might set the tone for the rest of the street, which could prompt other players to either call the bet or fold altogether. With the dealer/button spot being at such a late position, this is not possible.

BUTTON POSITION STRATEGY

There is no doubt that the dealer/button position is simply the best position to be in. You can use quite a number of strategies and, barring any special circumstances, most of the said strategies may well end up favourable for you.

• Play a wide range – The biggest problem of an early position is that betting with anything other than strong hands is not really cost-effective. In the dealer/button position, however, you can very well play marginal hands and still reach the final betting round — possibly even winning the game.
• Control the pot size – Acting at such a late position allows you the liberty of setting the size of the stakes. You can check if other players have checked, or you could even place a bet or raise if you think that your odds of winning are high. This betting position grants you that choice whenever it is possible.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM PLAYERS IN BUTTON POSITION?

Here’s the deal: whichever player sits in this position at the table will invariably have the edge over the rest of the players — it’s just a matter of making the most out of your hand. That pretty much sums up the objective of the game.

If you’re in an early position or middle position, we’d advise laying low and not placing too many large bets that might be compromised by the player occupying the button. Such players tend to raise quite frequently, so be aware of that.

BEST PREFLOPS FOR BUTTON POSITION IN POKER

Considering how advantageous this seating is, we recommend pursuing a wide range of hands compared to the rest of the players. You can be successful regardless of the cards the dealer hands you, but here are the absolute minimum starting hands that are worth pursuing:

• pocket pairs
• straight draws
• 9 high or better

SUMMARY

The button is the best placement possible in this game, where the order in which players are sitting at the table heavily influences the outcome. With more information to work with, such players are blatantly more favoured to progress between each round, even though players in other positions always stand a chance of winning.