Position matters for one simple reason: acting later gives you more information. On the button, you see every active opponent act before you after the flop. Out of position, you often have to check, bet, call, or fold before you know what the player behind will do.
Poker Positions at a Glance
Nine-handed table
Moving clockwise from the button:
Scroll horizontally to view the full table.
| Order | Name | Abbreviation | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Button / dealer | BTN | Late position |
| 2 | Small blind | SB | Blinds |
| 3 | Big blind | BB | Blinds |
| 4 | Under the gun | UTG | Early position |
| 5 | Under the gun +1 | UTG+1 | Early position |
| 6 | Middle position | MP | Middle position |
| 7 | Lojack | LJ | Middle position |
| 8 | Hijack | HJ | Late position |
| 9 | Cutoff | CO | Late position |
Naming is not perfectly universal. Some nine-handed charts use UTG+2 where another source uses MP, and some call the lojack MP2. The functional anchor is more reliable than the label: count back from the button and confirm who acts when.
Six-max table
Scroll horizontally to view the full table.
| Seat | Common name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Button (BTN) |
| 2 | Small blind (SB) |
| 3 | Big blind (BB) |
| 4 | Under the gun (UTG), often equivalent to lojack in a full-ring map |
| 5 | Hijack (HJ) |
| 6 | Cutoff (CO) |
The Button Makes Positions Move
The button is a round marker that identifies the nominal dealer. In a casino, a professional dealer still deals the cards, but the marker determines the blinds and action order.
After each hand, the button moves one seat clockwise. The next two players post the small and big blinds. The player left of the big blind becomes under the gun. A chair that was the cutoff this hand will be the hijack next hand, assuming every seat remains occupied.
Think in orbits, not permanent seats. One orbit is the sequence in which the button travels all the way around the table. Every player pays the blinds once per full orbit in a stable game.
Who Acts First Preflop and Postflop
Preflop: the first active player left of the big blind acts first. At a full table, that is UTG. Action continues clockwise. The blinds act last if nobody has raised them out of turn.
Postflop: the first active player left of the button acts first. The button acts last when still in the hand.
This switch causes most beginner confusion. The big blind can close the action preflop, then be first to act on the flop against the button.
Nine-Handed Poker Position Names
Under the gun (UTG) opens the action preflop with the most players still to act. Calling the seat “under the gun” captures the pressure of acting without seeing anybody else's decision.
UTG+1 and middle position act after UTG but still face several players behind. Exact labels vary; the strategic fact is that the field has not narrowed much yet.
Lojack (LJ) sits immediately right of the hijack in a common nine-handed map. It is the bridge between middle and late position.
Hijack (HJ) sits right of the cutoff. When folds reach the hijack, there are fewer players left who can wake up with a hand.
Cutoff (CO) sits right of the button. The cutoff often plays as the effective last position when the button folds.
Button (BTN) is the last seat to act postflop and normally the most favorable seat.
Small blind (SB) posts the smaller forced bet and acts first postflop when heads-up against the big blind or any later-position player.
Big blind (BB) posts the full blind. It has a discount when calling a raise but will often be out of position after the flop.
Six-Max Poker Positions
Six-max removes three early or middle seats; it does not create a new action order. The first seat left of the big blind is still first preflop, and the button is still last postflop.
Watch MIT OpenCourseWare explain table positions, action order, and why late position gives you more information in the verified segment below. The video is in English; captions are available.
This matters when importing a chart. A six-max “UTG” range belongs to a seat with only five opponents at the table. It is not interchangeable with nine-handed UTG, which faces eight opponents. Always match the chart to table size, rake, stack depth, and format.
In Position and Out of Position
You are in position (IP) against an opponent when you act after that opponent on later streets. You are out of position (OOP) when you act first.
Suppose the cutoff opens, the button calls, and everyone else folds. On a Q♠ 8♦ 4♣ flop, the cutoff acts first and the button acts last. If the cutoff checks, the button learns that before choosing whether to check back or bet. If the cutoff bets, the button sees the size before deciding to fold, call, or raise.
The information advantage repeats on the turn and river. That does not mean the button wins every pot. It means the button makes decisions after observing one more action.
Why Late Position Changes Your Options
As folds around to late position, fewer players remain who can contest the pot. That usually supports a wider opening range than early position, but there is no universal percentage that fits every game.
Late position also helps postflop:
- You see checks and bet sizes before acting.
- You can take a free card by checking behind when no bet is made.
- You can value-bet more precisely after an opponent shows weakness or calls earlier streets.
- You can decide whether a bluff has enough fold equity with more information.
- You control whether a checked street ends immediately.
Position is an information edge, not permission to punt. Opening wider still requires a range that accounts for the blinds, stack depth, rake, and players behind.
Position in Multiway Pots
Position is relative. On the button in a three-way pot, you act last against both opponents. In the cutoff with the button still in, you act after the blinds but before the button. You have position on some players and are out of position to another.
This changes how much a check reveals. A player who checks with two opponents behind has not closed the action. Avoid reducing every multiway spot to “late position good, early position bad.” Count who remains and who acts after you.
A Full Orbit Example
Start with Riley on the button at a six-max table:
- Hand 1: BTN — acts last postflop.
- Hand 2: SB — posts the small blind and usually acts first postflop.
- Hand 3: BB — posts the big blind and closes unraised preflop action.
- Hand 4: UTG — acts first preflop.
- Hand 5: HJ — two late-position seats and the blinds remain.
- Hand 6: CO — only the button and blinds remain behind.
- Hand 7: BTN again — one orbit is complete.
Common Position Mistakes
- Treating the physical dealer as the button in a cardroom.
- Forgetting that preflop action starts left of the big blind.
- Calling the small blind “late position” because it sits beside the button; it acts early postflop.
- Applying a six-max opening chart to nine-handed UTG.
- Assuming the cutoff is always in position; the button can still have position on it.
- Memorizing seat abbreviations without checking table size.
How Poker-Eye Uses Table Context
During supported play, Poker-Eye analyzes your cards, position, current table situation, and available opponent context before displaying an action cue over the poker-room interface. This is a verified use of position as one input; it is not a claim that the product publishes a fixed opening chart or replaces off-table study.
Read How Poker-Eye Works for the product workflow. To connect seat names with forced bets, continue with poker blinds; to examine a close decision after the session, use the hand-review guide.
Sources
- PokerStars: What Is Position in Poker? for seat names, action order, and the meaning of playing in position.
- PokerNews: Poker Positions Explained for the strategic effects of early, middle, and late position.
- 888poker: Poker Position Names for six-max and nine-handed seat naming conventions.
- DraftKings Poker: Poker Positions for beginner examples of in-position and out-of-position decisions.
Poker involves financial risk. No tool or strategy guarantees a result. Follow local requirements and the current rules of the poker room you use.
About the Editorial Team
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