What Are Poker Positions? Explaining the Order and Advantageous Play Methods with Starting Hands

In Texas Hold’em, the world-standard poker ruleset, positions are assigned to each seat.

Since the range of hands you can participate with changes depending on your position, it is important to adopt a strategy suited to your position.

This article explains the names, roles, and order of positions in Texas Hold’em, as well as advantageous play methods with starting hands based on your position.

▶ For those who want to learn about poker (Texas Hold’em), check out the article “[Easy for Anyone] Basic Poker Rules and How to Play! Types, History, and Hand Strength Fully Explained“
▶ For the features, how to play, reputation, and reviews of KK Poker, see the article “[Official Supervised] What is KK Poker (KKPoker)?“

What Are Poker Positions?

In poker (Texas Hold’em), position is so important there is even the saying “Position is power,” and strategy changes depending on your position.

The main position names in poker are the following 4:

• Blind Position (BP)
• Early Position (EP)
• Middle Position (MP)
• Late Position (LP)

Within these positions, there are 9 more detailed positions, each with specific conditions and roles.

These important positions don’t stay the same forever. The BTN moves to the left player as the game progresses.

The Order of Actions by Position

In poker (Texas Hold’em), the order always goes clockwise.

However, be aware that the position that starts the action first differs between pre-flop and subsequent rounds.

Pre-flop, the first position required to act is the Under the Gun (UTG) of the Early Position.

From the flop onwards, actions start from the Small Blind (SB) of the Early Position.

Poker Position List

Together with the image above, memorize the name, abbreviation, role, and conditions of each of the 9 poker positions.

The position names to learn first are SB, BB, UTG, and BTN.

These 4 have special conditions and roles, so you’ll need to know them thoroughly to play smoothly.

For the other positions, you can gradually learn them as you gain experience.

For those who want to know the basic rules and terminology of Texas Hold’em, refer to the article “[Complete Coverage] Texas Hold’em Glossary | Master the Basic Poker Terms and Their Meanings.”

Small Blind (SB)

The Small Blind (SB) is positioned to the left of the BTN and must always bet half of the blind.

Pre-flop, they have the right to fold, call, or raise after the BTN’s action.

Since they act first from the flop onwards, it is a disadvantageous position.

Big Blind (BB)

The Big Blind (BB) is positioned to the left of the SB and must always bet the blind.

Pre-flop, they play last so it is the most advantageous position.

However, from the flop onwards they are second after the SB, making it a disadvantageous position compared to players other than the SB.

Under the Gun (UTG)

Under the Gun (UTG) is positioned to the left of the BB.

It is the position that must act first pre-flop, and since you act with zero information, your hand alone is all you have to rely on.

From the flop onwards, UTG is third, but it is disadvantageous compared to positions other than SB and BB.

It is called Under the Gun because it is said to be such a dangerous position — like having a gun pointed at you.

Early Position (EP)

Early Position (EP) refers to players who act early in the round.

There is no fixed number of players, but in a 10-player game, UTG and the 2 players to their left are the Early Position.

Middle Position (MP)

Middle Position (MP) is the position that acts in the middle of each round.

In a 10-player game, this refers to the 3 players who act 4th through 6th pre-flop.

Hijack (HJ)

Hijack (HJ) refers to the position two spots before the BTN.

Cutoff (CO)

Cutoff (CO) refers to the player one spot before the BTN.

Dealer Button (BTN)

The Dealer Button (BTN) is the position that acts last.

Since you act with the most information available, it is an advantageous position.

In most cases, a disc-shaped item with ‘DEALER’ written on it is placed in front of the BTN player.

Both online and live, some kind of marker is placed, so look out for it.

Late Position (LP)

Late Position (LP) refers to players who act in the latter part of each round.

In a 10-player game, CO and BTN are the 2 players called Late Position.

Positions in 6-Max (Maximum 6 Players)

In 6-max games, which are common in online poker, positions change to a 6-player configuration as follows:

Early Position and Middle Position are reduced.

Note that online poker tables with a maximum of 6 players are also common, so it is recommended for those who want to efficiently play and practice all positions.

Since features and bonuses differ by online poker platform, those interested can check the latest recommended online poker options in the article below.

Advantageous and Disadvantageous Positions in Poker

The most advantageous position in poker is BTN.

Since you can see the actions and bet amounts of all other players before choosing your own action, you can play with your opponent’s strategy in mind.

Conversely, the most disadvantageous position in poker is SB.

While the SB plays second-to-last pre-flop, they must play first from the flop.

With little information about other players, you need to predict what actions they will take and respond accordingly.

In poker, a position with a later action order than yours is called “having position (in position),“ while a disadvantageous position is called “out of position.”

Advantageous Play by Position and Starting Hand

In the pre-flop, when 2 hole cards are dealt, all players must participate.

Adjust the range of your starting hand based on your position to improve your win rate in the game.

In general, Small Blind (SB) is disadvantageous, so narrow your hand range, and as your position becomes more advantageous, widen your hand range.

In a disadvantageous position, it is better not to play aggressively with clearly weak hands.

Conversely, when you are in an advantageous position, make good use of information about other players and your starting hand to play somewhat aggressively.

Hand range charts are introduced in the article “Poker Texas Hold’em Hand Range Chart [Tight / Loose] — Win Rate to Memorization Tips Fully Explained!.” It also introduces the hand range chart of professional poker player Yokosawa, so please refer to it.

Use the Advantage of Position to Improve Your Poker Win Rate!

Position is one of the important factors in poker (Texas Hold’em).

By knowing what your position is, what conditions and roles it carries, and what order the game proceeds in, you can play advantageously.

Compare your starting hand with your position to think through your hand range.

For those who want to practice position-based play, online poker — which you can play anytime — is recommended.

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