What Is the Button in Poker?
What is the button in poker?
The button is a rotating marker that defines action order and gives its holder last action on every postflop betting round.
It also anchors blind placement and position names in both live cash games and tournaments.
The Dealer Button: What Is the Button in Poker and What Does It Do?
Dealers place a disk on the table to mark the “dealer” for the current hand, even though a casino dealer handles the shuffle and the deal. In a home game, that disk often matches the person actually dealing; in a cardroom, it mainly serves as a reference point for position and action order. The button’s role is simple: it is a moving marker that tells everyone where the hand starts and how turns rotate.
The button moves one seat clockwise after each completed hand; a full orbit takes 9 hands at a nine-handed table and 6 hands at a six-max table. That shift reassigns every position at the table. The player with the button acts last on most postflop streets, and the seats to the left post forced bets that start the pot.
Those forced bets are tied to the button’s location, so a wrong placement can cause real confusion: blinds posted in error, action starting on the wrong player, or a dealer needing to stop and correct the sequence.
Live and online poker rooms use published procedures for seat changes, missed blinds, and new-player entry, because button and blind errors affect who owes forced bets and who has last action.
Button Position Explained: Why Last Action Matters
The poker button position sets the action order after the flop. Once community cards are out, the button acts last on each betting round, which changes how hands get played and how mistakes show up at the table.
- More accurate decisions: The button sees checks and bet sizes first, so choices use live information instead of guesses.
- Showdown and pot control: The button can check back marginal value hands and keep the pot from growing unnecessarily.
- Range pressure on later streets: When opponents check twice, the button can value-bet thinner or bluff more selectively because ranges are often capped.
- Heads-up rule: In heads-up play, WSOP rules specify that the small blind is on the button, acts first preflop, and acts last on later streets.
How the Button Changes Preflop Ranges
Preflop decisions shift noticeably from button poker strategy. At a 9-handed 100 BB cash table, published preflop charts commonly show UTG opening around the low-teens and the button opening around the 40% range, depending on rake and table tendencies. A 40% opening range is about 530 combos out of 1,326 possible starting-hand combos.
Hands that struggle from early seats gain viability when only the blinds remain. That math rests on fold equity and position, not aggression for its own sake.
Blind defense tightens or loosens based on who sits behind. When blinds play cautiously, the button can raise smaller and isolate limpers. When blinds fight back, 3-bets appear more often, and the button must respond with disciplined calls or selective re-raises. Those exchanges define many live cash dynamics.
Stack depth shapes these choices. Deeper stacks favor calls that preserve position and disguise hand strength. Shorter stacks push decisions toward raises or folds, since postflop maneuvering shrinks. The button’s edge shows up in sizing control, too; consistent opens keep pots manageable without giving away intent.
Live opponents react differently to button opens; frequent 3-bets and sticky blind calls are the two responses that change preflop outcomes the most.
How the Button Sets Position and Action Order
At a live table, the dealer button acts as the fixed reference for both seating names and betting order. The chart below shows how each position relates to the button, along with who acts first before and after the flop.
The table reflects standard 9-handed live cash play; 6-max tables compress early positions accordingly.
| Position name | Seat relative to the button | Preflop action order | Postflop action order | Notes for live play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Button (BTN) | Directly marked by the disk | Acts last among non-blinds (BB closes action) | Acts last | Controls postflop timing and final decisions |
| Small Blind (SB) | One seat left of the button | Acts late preflop (before BB) | Acts first | Posts the small blind before cards are dealt |
| Big Blind (BB) | Two seats left of the button | Acts last preflop (unless a straddle changes order) | Acts second | Posts the big blind and closes preflop action |
| Under the Gun (UTG) | First seat left of the big blind | Acts first preflop | Acts early | Opens action before the flop |
| Middle Position (MP) | Between UTG and the button | Acts mid-order | Acts early to mid | Order shifts with table size |
| Cutoff (CO) | One seat right of the button | Acts just before BTN | Acts just before BTN | Pressure point for button play |
Position names and action order follow standard poker-room procedures, with tournaments commonly using published rule sets such as WSOP rules and the Poker Tournament Directors Association (TDA) guidelines. House variations usually show up during seat changes, missed blinds, and dead-button handling.
TDA procedures also state that new players and late registrations are dealt in from most seats except between the small blind and the button, which is one reason rooms treat that gap as a special case during seat changes. TDA also notes that if incorrect button movement is discovered before substantial action, the error is corrected; once substantial action occurs, play continues with the mistake standing.
Quick example: With the button on Seat 6, Seat 1 (UTG) acts first preflop. After the flop, the small blind acts first and the button acts last.
6-max example: With the button on Seat 6, preflop action starts UTG (Seat 1). Postflop action starts in the small blind and ends on the button.
Postflop Leverage on the Button: C-bets, Delays, and Pot Size
The button in poker is widely treated as the strongest seat because it acts last postflop more often, which improves decision quality across streets.
It controls timing across streets, which shapes how bets land and how pots grow or stall. That leverage shows up in several repeatable spots.
- Continuation bets with purpose: From the button, c-bets can target specific ranges. When earlier players check, sizing can stay modest and still apply pressure. When someone leads, the button gains time to weigh board texture and future streets before responding.
- Delayed aggression: Checking back the flop can invite weaker turn bets or checks. Acting last then opens chances to bet turns that favor perceived range, without committing early.
- Pot control with medium strength: Acting last on the turn and river improves pot control and reduces thin-value and hero-call errors.
Concrete example (live cash): UTG opens, the cutoff calls, and the button calls. On K♣ 7♦ 2♠, UTG checks and the cutoff checks. The button can bet small with range advantage, or check back to keep the pot smaller with hands like A-high and weak pairs, then decide on the turn with full information.
Live Table Mechanics: Rules, Etiquette, and Avoiding Mistakes
In live play, knowing what a button is in poker keeps action orderly. If the disk is misplaced, action can slip out of turn, blinds can post wrong, and quick disputes can follow.
Cash games usually move the button every hand, while tournaments frequently apply dead-button rules during seat changes. Dealers typically pause and restate the action when the button is misplaced, because correcting order is easier before chips enter the pot.
Out-of-turn action is generally binding only if the action in front does not change. In WSOP tournament rules, a dead button is used when the button is placed at an empty seat to keep blind posting fair during seat changes. WSOP also states that a dead button can occur when a new participant is seated into a position between the small blind and the button, which is one of the specific situations that blocks normal button advance.
Rooms use set procedures when seats change. If rotation would skip or double a blind, some houses run a “dead button” hand to balance the blind cycle. Dealers announce it, yet tracking the disk still helps confirm who’s first preflop and who opens action postflop.
Straddles can shift preflop order and create mistakes. A live straddle changes the first-to-act order preflop and the size of the opening decision, but postflop action still starts left of the button and ends on the button.
In busy poker rooms, the button supports house processes for new arrivals, seat changes, and table breaks. Special layouts exist too; some novelty games use special poker tables where the button’s design changes, but its job stays the same.
Using the Button Position
Understanding the dealer button sharpens table awareness and reduces avoidable errors. It shapes action order, guides betting flow, and anchors casino procedures from the first card to the last bet.
Treating it as the table’s reference point supports better decisions and smoother play, especially in live settings where timing and order matter just as much as the cards themselves.
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