Poker positions, without the alphabet soup.
Your position is your seat relative to the dealer button. It determines when you act—and how much information you have before you decide.
The simple rule
Acting later is usually an advantage. You see what more players do first, so you can make a better-informed decision. That is why a hand that may be playable on the button can be a fold from an early seat.
The seats at a six-player table
- UTG (under the gun): the first player to act before the flop. You have the least information.
- HJ (hijack): the seat after UTG, two seats before the button.
- CO (cutoff): the seat directly before the button.
- BTN (button): the dealer position. After the flop, the button generally acts last.
- SB (small blind): posts the smaller forced bet before the cards are dealt.
- BB (big blind): posts the larger forced bet and closes the first preflop betting round when no one raises.
How the action moves
Before the flop, the action starts to the left of the big blind, at UTG in a six-player game. After the flop, action starts with the first active player to the left of the button. The blinds therefore act early after the flop, even though they act late before it.
Put it to work
When you face a preflop decision, locate your seat first. Ask how many players can still act behind you. A hand's strength matters, but so does the chance that someone behind you wakes up with a stronger one.