A poker position chart lists the seats at the table in the order players act. Position in poker means where you sit relative to the dealer button, and it decides how much you know about your opponents' actions before you have to make your own. Acting later is an advantage because you see what others do first.
Why does position matter?
Every decision is easier with more information. If you act last, you have already seen who folded, who called and who raised. If you act first, you must commit chips while several players behind you can still wake up with a strong hand or raise you out of the pot.
Acting last also lets you check behind when you want a cheap card, and bet when the other players have shown weakness. This is why the coach in Hold'em Sim gives position-first advice: the same two cards can be a sensible raise in one seat and a fold in another.
The six seats in order of play
At a six-handed table the seats are named by their distance from the dealer button. The table below follows the order of play before the flop. The opening guides are rough, not exact rules.
| Seat | Short | Acts preflop | Acts after the flop | Rough opening guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under the gun | UTG | First | Third | Tightest: about 14 to 18 percent of hands. |
| Hijack | HJ | Second | Fourth | A little wider than UTG. |
| Cutoff | CO | Third | Fifth | Wider again. |
| Button | BTN | Fourth | Sixth (last) | Widest: roughly 40 to 50 percent of hands. |
| Small blind | SB | Fifth | First | Can open when folded to; defend selectively against a raise. Posts 50. |
| Big blind | BB | Sixth (last) | Second | Defend rather than open; posts 100. |
The first three seats are early and middle position, the cutoff and button are late position, and the two blinds sit directly after the button.
Why is the order different before and after the flop?
Before the flop, the blinds have already been posted, so action starts with the player after the big blind. That is under the gun, and the big blind acts last.
After the flop, action always starts with the first active player to the left of the button. The small blind acts first and the button acts last. So the button, which acts fourth before the flop, becomes the best seat for the rest of the hand.
How does the dealer button move?
The dealer button moves one seat clockwise after every hand. Your seat label therefore changes each hand: the player who was the small blind takes the button, the big blind becomes the small blind, the player under the gun posts the big blind, and so on. Over a full orbit of six hands you pay both blinds once and sit on the button once. Check your seat at the start of every hand rather than assuming it is the same as last time.
A worked example: K-J offsuit
Take K-J offsuit. From under the gun, five players are still to act behind you. Any of them could hold a hand that dominates yours, such as A-K or K-Q, and if one of them raises you will often be out of position with a hand that is easy to dominate. For most beginners this is a fold.
Give the same hand on the button. Only the two blinds are left to act, and if they fold you take the pot or play the rest of the hand last. With so few players behind, the chance that someone holds a stronger hand drops, and the position advantage adds value. This is a standard raise. The cards did not change; the number of players still to act did.
Common beginner mistakes
- Treating every seat the same. A range that suits the button is too loose for under the gun. Tighten up in early seats and widen as the seats behind you thin out.
- Limping from early position. Calling the big blind rather than raising or folding gives away the initiative and invites several opponents to see a flop cheaply.
- Not noticing the button. New players often play on autopilot and miss that their seat has changed. Always find the button first, then count the seats.
- Defending the blinds too loosely. You already have chips invested, but that does not mean every hand is worth playing from the worst postflop seats. See the folding guide for why earlier chips should not drive the next decision.
The percentages above are rough guides for six-max no-limit Hold'em, not fixed rules. Real ranges shift with stack sizes and how your opponents behave.
How Hold'em Sim shows your seat
Before you act, Hold'em Sim shows your seat in the position meter and the coach gives a preflop recommendation that is specific to that seat. Try folding a hand such as K-J offsuit from under the gun, then raising it from the button, and compare the coach's advice each time on the training table. When you face a bet later in the hand, the pot odds guide explains how to price your call.