Table Position
Last reviewed · CardLore editorial
Position is simply where you sit relative to the dealer button, and it decides one thing: when you have to act. A player who acts last has seen what everyone else did before committing a chip. A player who acts first has seen nothing.
Nobody chooses their position — the button moves one seat clockwise after every hand, so every seat takes every position in turn. What you choose is how to play the position you have.
The seats and their names
The names below are for a nine-handed table. At a shorter table the middle positions disappear first, which is why six-handed games play so differently.
Positions at a nine-handed table
| Seat | Group | Acts | Hands worth playing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small blind | Blinds | First after the flop | Few; you are out of position all hand |
| Big blind | Blinds | Last before the flop, second after | Defend selectively; you have already paid |
| Under the gun | Early | First before the flop | Strongest hands only |
| UTG+1, UTG+2 | Early | Second and third | Strong hands |
| Middle, MP1–MP2 | Middle | Fourth and fifth | Moderate range |
| Hijack | Late | Third from the button | Wider range |
| Cutoff | Late | Second from the button | Wide range |
| Button | Late | Last after the flop, every round | Widest range at the table |
Why acting last is worth money
Position does not improve your cards. It improves the quality of every decision you make with them.
- You see actions before you must commit. Four checks in front of you is information; four checks behind you is a guess.
- You control the size of the pot. Last to act, you can keep a pot small with a marginal hand or build it with a strong one.
- Your draws are cheaper. When everyone checks to you, taking a free card costs nothing. Out of position you must bet or check and hope.
- Your bluffs are credible. A bet from the player who has watched everyone else show weakness is harder to call.
- You can end the hand. Acting last means the round closes when you call, with no raise waiting behind you.
This is why the same two cards are played differently from different seats. A hand like J-10 suited is a routine call on the button and a routine fold under the gun, and the cards have not changed at all.
How position changes with table size
- Nine or ten players. Early position is genuinely early; there are seven players left to act behind an opening raise.
- Six players. There is no true early position. The three late seats account for half the table, and starting hands widen accordingly.
- Heads-up. The button posts the small blind and acts first before the flop, then last on every later round. The button plays most hands.
- Stud games. There is no button. The order is set by the exposed cards and changes on every street, which is why position matters far less in stud.
Common mistakes
- Playing the same hands from every seat. The single most expensive habit in new players’ games.
- Calling raises from the blinds because the money is “already in”. It is in the pot, not in your stack, and you will play the whole hand out of position.
- Limping under the gun. Entering a pot without raising from the first seat invites the whole table in behind you.
- Forgetting the button moves. A seat that was perfect last hand is under the gun three hands later.
- Ignoring who is yet to act. One player left to act behind you is a different situation from five.
How much to put in once you have decided to play is covered in Betting Rounds and Bet Types, and whether a call is mathematically worth making in Pot Odds and Outs.
Common questions
What does “under the gun” mean?
The seat immediately to the left of the big blind, which acts first before the flop. It is the worst position for seeing cheap cards, so it demands the strongest hands.
Why is the button the best seat?
Because it acts last on the flop, the turn and the river — three of the four betting rounds — so it has more information than any other seat for most of the hand.
Does position matter in Stud or in trick-taking games?
In Stud the order of action is reset by the exposed cards each street, so there is no fixed advantage. In Hearts and Spades leading or playing last to a trick matters a great deal, but it changes trick by trick.
Should I always raise on the button?
No. Position widens the range of hands worth playing; it does not make every hand playable. Raising every button against attentive opponents simply invites them to play back at you.