Poker Positions and Associated Strategies
Position in poker strongly influences each player's strategy, depending on the order in which they must act. In particular, playing in position gives you a significant advantage.
Your position at the table largely determines your chances of success in a hand
Position in poker refers to the order in which players must act on each betting round, influencing their strategy. The later a player acts (in position), the more information they have about others' actions, giving them an advantage.
Each position at the table has a specific name:
- The Button or Dealer (BU or BTN)
- The Small Blind (SB)
- The Big Blind (BB)
- Under the Gun (UTG)
- UTG+1, UTG+2, UTG+3, UTG+4
- The Hijack (HJ)
- The Cutoff (CO)
The positions are the same in cash games, tournaments, and Sit & Go.
Before the flop, the player to the left of the big blind, in the "Under The Gun" (UTG) position, acts first. The other players follow in clockwise order.
After the flop, the order changes: the small blind acts first, followed by the big blind and the other players. The button plays last, giving them a strategic advantage by observing all actions before deciding.
Your position is therefore important for adjusting the hands you choose to play.
If you're a Spin player (Expresso, Spin & Go, Spin and Rush, Twister, etc.) I recommend checking out: Preflop hand charts.
6-max poker positions
In 6-max (6-player table), the positions are:
- The Button (often abbreviated BU or BTN)
- The Small Blind (SB)
- The Big Blind (BB)
- The Lojack or Under the Gun (UTG)
- The Hijack (HJ)
- The Cutoff (CO)
The different position categories
Each position falls into one of four categories:
- The blinds: the small and big blind. As their name suggests, these positions bet automatically before the cards are dealt. They are the last to act preflop, but the first postflop.
- Early positions: these players act among the first, both preflop and postflop, giving them less advantage as they have less information about other players' actions. In 6-max, this corresponds to the UTG position.
The term "Under The Gun" comes precisely from this positional disadvantage. Literally, it means being "under pressure".
- Middle positions: they sit between early and late positions, offering more flexibility. In 6-max, this is the Hijack.
- Late positions: these players act last, giving them a significant advantage through better information about opponents. In 6-max, these are the Cutoff and the Button.
The term "Button" comes from the large chip used to designate the dealer in home games without a professional dealer. The "Cutoff" gets its name from the player who cuts the deck in those same games.
Note: this classification of poker positions, while useful, is not an exact science. The terms "early," "middle," and "late" remain relatively vague. This classification simply helps to better understand table dynamics and adapt accordingly.
The advantages of position in poker
1⃣ Acting after your opponents and gaining more information
Being in position allows you to play after others, which is a huge asset. You see their actions before deciding, giving you information about the strength of their hands or their plans.
However, be careful — sometimes a player may pretend to check to lure you into betting, in order to trap you. But in most cases, multiple consecutive checks on the flop and turn indicate a weak hand.
2⃣ Controlling the pot size
In position, you can "slow down" the hand by choosing to check or bet small. This is useful if you have a decent but fragile hand, especially against aggressive players. It allows you to stay in the hand while avoiding costly decisions.
For example, if you're on the button with 9♠ 9♦ on a 6♣ K♦ 2♥ flop and your opponent checks, it's often wise to check back to control the pot.
Even though you have a good hand, your opponent might have a King, which would put you in trouble. By checking, you avoid inflating the pot and keep control, allowing you to reassess on the turn without risking too much money.
3⃣ Making bluffs easier
Position is a key asset for successful bluffs, as it allows you to act last and take the lead, even with weak hands. You can bluff more easily, even without a strong hand.
The positional advantage often compensates for this lack of strength, as you control the hand and put your opponents under pressure.
For example, you open on the button with 6♠ 5♠, BB calls. The flop comes K♣ 8♦ 2♠, and your opponent in the BB checks. This is the time to bet, making them believe you have a strong hand like a King.
If the turn brings an A♥, it's a great card to continue your bluff. The Ace reinforces the idea that you have a strong hand (AK, KQ, AQ). By betting again, you put more pressure on your opponent, pushing them to fold, even though your hand hasn't changed.
4⃣ Seeing more free cards
A great advantage of being in position is the chance to see free cards when you have a speculative hand, like a draw. By playing last, you can check behind your opponents, allowing you to see the next card without investing more in the pot.
This is very useful when you want to improve your hand without risking too many chips.
For example, if you're on the button with A♠ 7♠ and the flop comes 9♠ 4♠ K♦, you have a flush draw. If the players before you check, you can check too to see the turn for free and try to hit your flush without spending more chips.
If you were out of position, like in the small blind, an opponent could have bet after your check, forcing you to pay dearly to see the turn. In position, you avoid this risk and continue to play your draw in better conditions.
5⃣ Calculating pot odds
Position allows you to better calculate pot odds, as you have all the information before deciding. When you're in position and your opponent bets, you can see whether the bet amount makes calling profitable based on your draw odds.
No one can raise after you, so the amount you need to pay won't change.
For example, you're on the button with an open-ended straight draw and your only opponent bets 30 into a pot of 90. You know that no one can raise after you.
You need to pay 30 to win a total pot of 150, giving you odds of 20%. With a probability of hitting your straight of about 30%, you can call knowing that the investment amount is fixed.
If you were out of position, like in the small blind, you could call, but a player after you might raise, making your initial investment insufficient. You would then be forced to put in more chips, complicating the profitability calculation and risking a bad decision. In position, you avoid this risk.
How to choose which hands to play based on your position?
Early positions
Being one of the first to act, caution is key. Only play the strongest hands as you have little information about other players' actions. Betting with a weak hand like 68 in this position is risky.
The strategy in early position is to focus on the strongest hands and limit bluffs.
Middle positions
These positions offer a bit more flexibility. You have information about the actions of players before you and can already adjust your play accordingly.
The strategy here is to slightly widen your range of starting hands compared to early positions.
Late positions
The Cutoff is the ideal position to start taking calculated risks. With fewer players behind you, the potential to "steal the blinds" increases. The Button is the most advantageous position. You act last postflop, giving you maximum control to observe and manipulate the pot.
Play an even wider range. Use your position to put pressure on the blinds and steal pots with weaker hands. Bluff more frequently postflop by leveraging your positional advantage.
Blinds
Although in late position preflop, the blinds are the first to act postflop, which is a disadvantage.
Be very selective with the hands you play from the blinds. Defend your Big Blind with a reasonable range against potential steals, but don't overcommit with marginal hands. In the Small Blind, avoid playing too many hands, as you'll be in a very disadvantageous position for the entire hand.
How to choose your seat wisely?
If you have the opportunity to choose your seat at the table, for example during live home games, choosing your position based on other players' skill levels can influence your winnings.
Ideally, you want to sit to the left of the strongest players (to have positional advantage over them) and to the right of less experienced players, to profit from their mistakes.
Which position is the most profitable in poker?
As you've probably understood, late positions, especially the Button, are the most profitable. Acting last gives you more control over pot size and your bluffing decisions, allowing you to adjust your play precisely based on your opponents' actions.
To illustrate this, if you're still not convinced, here are two profit curves from a good regular player: one at the Button, the other in the Small Blind:
These charts show us that even a good player will struggle to make significant profits from the Small Blind compared to when they're on the Button.
