What is the button in poker?
The dealer button is a small disc, usually marked “Dealer”, that shows which player is in the dealer’s position for the hand. In a casino a house dealer deals every hand, so the dealer button only marks the seat. That seat, also called the button or BTN, is the best one at the table: it acts last on every street after the flop. The two blinds sit directly to its left, and every other position is named by its distance from it. Our poker positions guide shows the full table.
How does the dealer button move?
One seat to the left, clockwise, after every hand, so each player has the button once per orbit. The small blind is the first seat to the button’s left and the big blind the second, so the blinds move with it; our small and big blind guide covers them. This part is the standard rule rather than our data, and two cases trip people up:
- Heads-up. With two players, the button posts the small blind, acts first before the flop and last after it.
- Dead button. When the player due to get the button has busted or left, many rooms leave the button in front of the empty seat for one hand, so nobody skips the big blind. Rules vary, so check the house rule.
Which hands should you open from the button?
About 40.5% of them: 538 of the 1,326 two-card combos, in the 6-max cash ranges PlusEV drills at 100 big blinds. Every hand is a raise or a fold; the solver never limps from the button.
| AA | AKs | AQs | AJs | ATs | A9s | A8s | A7s | A6s | A5s | A4s | A3s | A2s |
| AKo | KK | KQs | KJs | KTs | K9s | K8s | K7s | K6s | K5s | K4s | K3s | K2s |
| AQo | KQo | QJs | QTs | Q9s | Q8s | Q7s | Q6s | Q5s | Q4s | Q3s | Q2s | |
| AJo | KJo | QJo | JJ | JTs | J9s | J8s | J7s | J6s | J5s | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo | KTo | QTo | JTo | TT | T9s | T8s | T7s | T6s | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o | K9o | Q9o | J9o | T9o | 99 | 98s | 97s | 96s | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o | K8o | Q8o | J8o | T8o | 98o | 88 | 87s | 86s | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o | K7o | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77 | 76s | 75s | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o | K6o | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66 | 65s | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o | K5o | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55 | 54s | 53s | 52s |
| A4o | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44 | 43s | 42s |
| A3o | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33 | 32s |
| A2o | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22 |
In shorthand the range is 33+, every suited ace and suited king, A4o+, K9o+, Q4s+, Q9o+, J6s+, J9o+, T6s+, T8o+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s and 54s, plus a few hands raised part of the time: jack-five suited 89%, ten-five suited 55%, ace-three offsuit about half and king-eight offsuit 40%. Almost half the range, 49%, is offsuit hands. The button opens 160 more combos than the cutoff, and most of them are offsuit: king-nine, queen-nine, jack-nine and ten-nine offsuit, and ace-seven down to ace-four offsuit. Every seat’s range is in our Texas Hold’em charts.
What happens after you open from the button?
We simulated 200,000 button opens with PlusEV’s 6-max solver ranges at 100 big blinds, card removal included: the button is dealt a hand from its opening range and both blinds act on their own charts.
| After a button open | How often |
|---|---|
| Both blinds fold, the button wins them | 56.2% |
| Someone 3-bets first | 25.7% |
| Someone calls first | 18.1% |
The small blind almost never calls: it 3-bets 13.4% of the time and flat-calls 0.2%, because a call would leave it out of position with the big blind still to act. The big blind is the one that calls, 17.9% of the time, and it 3-bets 12.2%. Either way, a called button open is played in position.
What should you do when someone opens before you?
Call more than any other seat would. With only the blinds behind, a call on the button is guaranteed position after the flop, so the solver flats far more often here than from the cutoff:
| Open from | 3-bet | Call | Fold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the gun | 7.3% | 5.7% | 87.0% |
| Hijack | 9.0% | 6.3% | 84.7% |
| Cutoff | 11.6% | 5.2% | 83.2% |
From the cutoff, 72% to 88% of the hands that play against an earlier open are 3-bets. On the button it is 56% against under the gun and 69% against the cutoff.
The later the opener, the more the button 3-bets, because the opener’s range is wider and more of it folds to a re-raise.
What should you do when a blind 3-bets your button open?
Continue with a little under half your range, and less against the big blind:
| 3-bet from | Size | Continue | Call | 4-bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small blind | 12bb | 43.3% | 31.6% | 11.7% |
| Big blind | 13bb | 39.5% | 27.7% | 11.8% |
Each hand is counted by how often the button opens it. The button calls most of its continuing range because it will have position for the rest of the hand. Kings 4-bet every time; aces call 43% of the time against the small blind and 29% against the big blind. Small pairs and suited connectors continue against the small blind’s 3-bet every time, mostly by calling, but against the big blind deuces fold every time and nine-eight suited 75%. Every spot is on our facing a 3-bet charts.
Why is the button the best seat in poker?
Because it acts last after the flop, every hand. The button sees what the blinds and every caller did before it chooses, which is worth more than any card. That is why it opens the widest range of any seat but the small blind. It does not always get the chance: in 300,000 hands played with the same ranges, the pot was folded to the button only 46% of the time; half the time someone had already raised.
What are the most common mistakes on the button?
- Opening every hand. 40.5% is wide, not everything: queen-three suited, nine-five suited and king-seven offsuit are folds.
- Limping. The solver limps 0% of hands from the button.
- Folding too much to a blind’s 3-bet. The button continues with about 40% of its range, much of it by calling in position.
- 3-betting every hand against an early open. Against under the gun, nearly half the button’s continuing hands are calls.
This last part is standard theory: after the flop, use the position. Bet more often when checked to, and call more often when you are behind but have a draw, because you will always see the next card’s action first. The button is the seat that marks the dealer and the one that acts last: open about 40% of hands, flat more often than anywhere else, and defend about 40% of your range against a blind’s 3-bet. The PlusEV preflop trainer drills these spots until you stop needing the chart.
Quick answers
What is the button in poker?
A disc that marks which player is in the dealer's position for the hand. That player acts last after the flop, and the small and big blinds are the next two seats to the left.
Which way does the dealer button move?
One seat to the left, clockwise, after every hand, so every player has the button once per orbit.
Who posts the blinds relative to the button?
The player directly to the button's left posts the small blind and the next player the big blind. In heads-up play the button itself posts the small blind.
What is a dead button?
When the player due to get the button has left the table or busted, many card rooms leave the button in front of the empty seat for a hand so that no one skips the big blind. Rules vary by room.
Why is the button the best position in poker?
It acts last on every street after the flop, so the button player always sees what everyone else did before deciding. That is why it opens the widest range of any seat but the small blind.
How many hands should you play on the button?
About 40.5% when the pot is folded to you, in 6-max cash at 100 big blinds: every pocket pair from threes up, every suited king and most suited queens, and offsuit hands down to king-nine and ace-four.