Guide · Strategy
Poker positions explained: why your seat matters
The same two cards can be a good play or a bad one depending on where you sit. Here are the 6 positions at a 6-max table, what each one means, and how many hands to open from every seat.
4 min read · Updated on
In short
Your position is your seat relative to the button. The player who acts last sees what everyone else does first, and that information is worth chips. That is why you open far more hands from the button (~42%) than from under the gun (~16%).
- positions at a 6-max table
- 6
- positions at a 6-max table
- of hands opened from UTG
- 16%
- of hands opened from UTG
- opened from the button
- 42%
- opened from the button
- the button is the best seat
- #1
- the button is the best seat
The 6 positions at a poker table
Listed in the order they act before the flop. After the flop the order flips: the blinds act first and the button acts last. Informally, UTG and the hijack are early/middle position, the cutoff and button are late position, and the small and big blind are the blinds.
UTG · Under the gun
Early position · opens 16%
Acts first and has 5 players behind. Strong hands only.
HJ · Hijack
Middle position · opens 21%
Two seats right of the button. A bit wider than UTG.
CO · Cutoff
Late position · opens 28%
The seat right before the button. Only the button and the blinds act after you.
BTN · Button
The best seat · opens 42%
Acts last on every street after the flop.
SB · Small blind
Opens 44%
Already posted half a blind, but acts first after the flop. The worst position.
BB · Big blind
Defends
Already posted a full blind, so it calls with many hands because the price is cheap.
What about a 9-handed table?
Extra seats are added at the front: UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2, LJ (lojack), HJ (hijack), CO, BTN, SB and BB. The first three play even tighter than the UTG of a 6-max table, because more players behind them can wake up with a strong hand.
What about 4 or 5 players?
At a 5-handed table the seats are UTG, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind. At a 4-handed table the first to act is the cutoff: there is no hijack and no UTG. At a short table every seat opens more hands than at a 6-max table, because fewer players behind you can hold a strong hand.
Why acting last is worth so much
You see before you decide
You know whether your opponent checked or bet before it is your turn. They decide blind; you do not.
You control the pot size
With a medium-strength hand you can check behind and see the next card for free.
Your bluffs work more often
When your opponent checks, they show weakness, and from behind you can take advantage of it.
You steal the blinds
From the button, once everyone has folded, raising almost any decent hand wins the blinds very often.
The same hand, two different decisions
From UTG
Almost always a fold
With 5 players behind you, anyone who calls usually holds a hand that dominates yours, like AK or KQ.
From the button
Always a raise
Only the blinds are left to act, and you will have position for the whole hand.
Exactly which hands to open from each seat is laid out in the preflop opening ranges charts. To see how your hand stacks up before the flop, check the best starting hands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best position in poker?
The button. After the flop you act last on every street, which gives you information your opponents do not have.
What is the worst position in poker?
The small blind. You have already put chips in, and after the flop you act first on every street.
What does UTG mean in poker?
Under the gun: the first player to act before the flop, directly to the left of the big blind.
What is the cutoff in poker?
The seat directly to the right of the button. It is the second-best position, since only the button and the blinds act after you.
What is the hijack in poker?
The seat two to the right of the button, right before the cutoff. At a 6-max table it is the middle position.
What are the poker positions at a 4-handed table?
Cutoff, button, small blind and big blind. The hijack and UTG do not exist at four players: the first to act is the cutoff.
What are the positions at a 5-handed poker table?
UTG, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind.
What is the lojack in poker?
The seat three to the right of the button, before the hijack. It is used at tables of seven or more players; at a 6-max table the first to act is called UTG.
What does out of position mean in poker?
Acting before your opponent on the streets after the flop, so you decide without knowing what they will do. The blinds are usually out of position.
What does it mean to be in position?
Acting after your opponent on the streets after the flop. The opposite is being "out of position".
Position clicks when you play it.
Practice hands from every seat at the table and we will tell you when your decision changes because of position. Free, and no real money.