Poker Lesson 05: Your Position At the Poker Table

I mentioned something about positions at the table to a friend of mine. She answered back with the type of details about her summer college intern that were only fit for the "Spice Channel". If the words "table" and "position" send you into the Larry Flynt zone, this is not the article for you. We are referring to a player's position at the Texas Hold'Em table.

We are going to take a high level view of the positions around a Texas Hold'Em table. There are strategies for certain places around the table. To get the specifics on the strategy involved here, see the articles Your Position At The Table In No-Limit Texas Hold'Em and First and Last position.

The Button: The button, also known as the dealer button, is the reference point for all other positions. The actual button is a small round disk that is moved from player to player in a clockwise direction following each hand. Theoretically, this indicates who the dealer for of each hand is. If you don?t have a small, red button handy, a "Kerry/Edwards in 04" button will do just as well. Something useful might as well come from them.

Small Blind: If you are sitting in the small blind spot, you are the person immediately to the left of the dealer "button" prior to the cards being dealt.

Big Blind: The Big Blind spot sounds like something you find on a Ford Explorer. In reality it is the second spot clockwise from the dealer.

Early Position: The two position directly to the left of the blinds are referred to as the early positions.

Middle Position: The no-mans land between the early and late positions is commonly referred to as the middle position. Generally these are the fifth, sixth, and seventh seats.

Late Position: The late positions are the two people seated directly to the right of the button. From this position the player has the advantage of acting after most of the other players have finished their turns.

There are inherent advantages and disadvantages that come from each spot on the table. Some places to sit are better then others. That is why the seat designations will change each time the button is moved. This makes it fair for everyone involved.