Playing from the Button

Being on the button is the most powerful position at the poker table and, thankfully, everyone gets a turn at the button at regular intervals when it goes around the table. Proper button strategy is key to utilizing this position to its fullest and being able to utilize being on the button to its fullest will help to improve your overall poker play and returns.

The merits of being on the button are many but the most important is the fact that you are last to act. Being last to act means that you get to see what everyone has done before you have to make your decision. This gives you the maximum amount of information at the table before you have to take action and the more information that you have the better a position you are in to make an informed decision. You already know things like the number of players in the hand and the number of raises and you are not particularly fearful of being raised from the blinds (it happens but not too often).

On the button, you have the widest selection of hands to choose from because of all the information that you have about the rest of the players who have acted in front of you. When you are on the button, depending on how many players are in the hand and whether or not anyone has raised, you can pretty much play any two cards. You can play almost every card combination from this position profitably and you can win more hands from this position because you are last to act. In addition, there are a number of strategies that are perfect from the button.

One strategy that is perfect when you are on the button at UB.com is stealing the blinds. Stealing the blinds is raising from the button when the table has folded around to you and, essentially, stealing the blinds from the two people to your left. In addition to stealing when no one else has entered the pot, stealing can be done if one other person at the table called hesitantly but any more than that and you are not really trying to steal the blinds. Your hand does not have to be good to steal the blinds, but using it sparingly will keep people from catching you with your hand in the cookie jar.

Being on the button is the best position to play from at the poker table and many players do not take advantage of the position. By properly using the information that is given to you by acting last and utilizing the inherent strengths of the position, you will greatly improve your overall poker play and can turn the button into one of your most profitable positions at the poker table.