Holdem Poker Strategy (Beginner) Part 4.

Holdem Poker Basics

Position and the Button

If you’ve seen a Texas Hold ‘Em table being played then you have certainly seen that little white disk that moves around the table with each deal of the cards. This disk is known as The Button, and it represents where, theoretically, the dealer of the cards would be sitting if the cards were actually being passed around the table. Except in home games the cards for Texas Hold ‘Em are not passed around from player to player. Instead, a non-player (usually a casino employee trained in the rules of Texas Hold ‘Em) will deal the cards out and keep track of where the button is suppose to be at any one time.

But the Button has far more significance than just telling us who would be dealing if we were passing the cards around the table. In fact, knowing how to play the Button and how it affects your play as it moves around the table is, perhaps, one of the most important lessons a new player can learn, and it is a lesson/skill that even old pros constantly try to hone.

Let’s take a closer look at how the Button works in regard to position.

When you first sit down at a table, be it at a brick-and-mortar casino or an online gaming room, you will see the dealer himself. This is the person dealing the actual cards. Somewhere on the table you will also see a white disk that may or may not say “Dealer” on it. This is the Button, and as mentioned above it moves around the table with each deal.

To start a new hand, two "Blind" bets are put up or "Posted." The player immediately to the left of the dealer (The Button) posts the small blind which is one-half the minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind which is equal to the full minimum bet for the particular game you are playing. The rest of the players do not put up any money to start the hand. Because the deal rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind, and dealer (or Button—the words dealer and button are interchangeable).

Each player is then dealt two cards, face down, with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind either putting in a full bet to "Call" the blind bet, or putting in more money than that required to match the minimum bet in order to "raise" the big blind. Or he can fold his hand, which means he will not play this one.

The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. That player can call the bet by putting in the other half of the minimum bet in which case he is calling. Or he can raise, or he can fold.

The last person to act is the big blind. If no one has raised, the dealer will ask if they would like the option. This means the big blind has the option to raise or just "check." By checking the player does not put in any more money.

After the first betting round is completed, the Flop is dealt out on the table and another round of betting begins with the first active player (players who have called the big blind) to the left of the dealer button.

At the end of the hand, the Button moves one seat clockwise as well as the big and small blinds. This sounds more confusing than it is. Once you have seen the Button in action and how the blinds are posted with each hand, you’ll get a much better sense of what this all means.

Now, in very general terms, the reason your position at the table in relation to the Button is important is this:

If you are the first person to act—to bet, fold, or raise—you must remember that every other player behind you will also have a chance to bet, fold, or raise. If you are the first person to act, it is very important that, as a beginner, you do not play weak hands. In other words, don’t call the blind if you were not dealt a strong hand as starting cards.

Any player who wants to win and win consistently will develop the discipline to fold weak hands, especially if he or she is first or second or third to act.

The last thing you want to do is put in the amount of the big blind (to call) if you have a weak hand only to see the other players raise and re-raise as the option moves to each of them. By the time it gets back to you, you may have to put in half your stack just to see a Flop! And you already have a weak hand to boot.

On the other hand, in regards to position, if you are in the big blind (meaning you have already paid the price of a full bet) and no raises to you, then you certainly want to keep the hand and either check (to see a free card) or even raise (if you feel you can bluff the remaining players out). Now, instead of being the first person to act, you are the last person to act. You have had the opportunity to see what the other players are doing and you can adjust your play to best benefit your hand, using your position as leverage against them.

So, given the same two cards, what you might do as the first person (fold) does not automatically mean the same if you are in the blinds or on the Button. You might very well call or even raise, depending on who you are playing, how many people are still in the game, and how you feel about your hand.

Learning to use your position is critical to winning Texas Hold ‘Em. It isn’t something that you can expect to learn overnight, but it is something that you MUST learn, day by day, game by game, if you want to win.

By - Artel -