KEY TAKEAWAYS
A poker position is your seat measured from the dealer button, and each position has a name that tells other players when you act. The main names are the button, the small blind, the big blind, under the gun (UTG), the hijack and the cutoff. Once you know them, phrases like “UTG raises” or “the cutoff folds” stop sounding like code.
Positions matter because poker is played in turns, clockwise around the table. Some seats act early in a betting round and some act late, and the order never stays the same for long, because the button moves after every hand. A name like “cutoff” always describes a seat relative to the button, never a specific chair at the table.
This guide explains each position name, where it sits, and when it acts before and after the flop. It also covers what changes at a short-handed table, walks through one hand seat by seat, and lists the mix-ups beginners make most often. For the wider picture of how a hand runs, start with what poker is and how it works.
What Position Means in Poker
Position is the order in which players act in a betting round. The player who acts earlier has to decide with less information about what opponents will do. The player who acts later has already seen those opponents check, bet or fold. This is why players talk about position so often, and why every seat gets its own name.
Every position is counted from the dealer button, a small disc that marks the nominal dealer. In a casino a house dealer handles the cards, but the button still travels one seat clockwise after each hand. Everyone sitting to the left of the button is “earlier” in the order, and the seats closest to the right of the button act last.
Two terms need defining before the names. A betting round is one lap of decisions: preflop (before any community cards), then the flop, turn and river. The blinds are the forced bets posted by the two seats to the left of the button, and they act differently from every other seat. If you want to see the full flow of a hand, read how to play Texas Hold’em step by step.
Poker Position Names at a Full Table
The names run clockwise from the button, and a full nine-player table uses all of them. The table below lists each seat, where it sits and the usual group it belongs to. Treat the groups as a convention rather than a rule, because charts and cardrooms draw the lines slightly differently.
| Position | Short name | Where it sits | Usual group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small blind | SB | Directly left of the button | Blinds |
| Big blind | BB | Left of the small blind | Blinds |
| Under the gun | UTG | Left of the big blind | Early |
| Under the gun plus one | UTG+1 | Left of UTG | Early |
| Under the gun plus two | UTG+2 | Left of UTG+1 | Middle |
| Lowjack | LJ | Left of UTG+2 | Middle |
| Hijack | HJ | Two seats right of the button | Middle |
| Cutoff | CO | One seat right of the button | Late |
| Button | BTN | The dealer button itself | Late |
Read the table from the blinds around to the button, because that is the order in which seats act before the flop. Under the gun gets its name because that player acts first, with the most unknown still ahead. The cutoff is called that because it “cuts off” the button from the action: if the cutoff raises, the button’s chance to enter cheaply is gone.
Names beyond UTG are the most flexible. Some tables call UTG+2 and the lowjack “middle position”, and a few skip the “plus” names altogether. If a player at your table uses a name you do not recognize, count the seats from the button, and the meaning becomes clear.
Early, Middle and Late Position
The names are usually grouped into three zones: early, middle and late. Early position means the first seats to act after the big blind, such as UTG and UTG+1. Middle position covers the seats in between. Late position is the cutoff and the button, which act last or nearly last once cards have been dealt.
The blinds are a special case. The small blind and big blind act last before the flop but first after it, which is the opposite of every other seat. That reversal is one of the details that trips up new players most.
The groupings shrink as the table does. At a six-player table there is no need for UTG+1, UTG+2 or lowjack, so the seats are usually UTG, hijack, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind. Fewer players means fewer position names, and every player sits closer to the button.
Who Acts First: Order of Action by Position
Before the flop, action starts with UTG, the seat directly left of the big blind, and moves clockwise. The order is UTG, then the middle seats, then the hijack, the cutoff, the button, the small blind and finally the big blind. The big blind acts last because it has already posted a forced bet, and it gets the option to check if nobody has raised.
After the flop, the order flips to start from the button’s left. The first active player to the left of the button acts first, which is usually the small blind. Action then moves clockwise, and the button acts last. The same order applies on the turn and the river.
Heads-up and three-handed play
With only two players, called heads-up, the button also posts the small blind. That player acts first before the flop and last on every round after it. With three players, there is no UTG: the button acts first before the flop, then the small blind, then the big blind.
Example: One Hand, Seat by Seat
An example shows how the names turn into a turn order. Imagine a six-player table. These players are invented for illustration. Ana is on the button, Ben is the small blind and Cara is the big blind. Dev is under the gun, Eli is the hijack and Fay is the cutoff.
Before the flop the order is Dev, Eli, Fay, Ana, Ben, Cara. Dev acts first because UTG sits left of the big blind. Ben and Cara act last because they posted the blinds. Suppose everyone stays in to see the flop.
After the flop the order changes to Ben, Cara, Dev, Eli, Fay, Ana. Ben acts first because the small blind sits directly left of the button, and Ana acts last because she holds the button. Ana therefore gets to see what all five opponents do before she decides.
When the hand ends, the button moves one seat clockwise. Ben becomes the button, Cara becomes the small blind and Dev becomes the big blind. Eli is now under the gun, Fay is the hijack and Ana is the cutoff. Nobody changed chairs, but every position name moved one seat along.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Thinking a position name belongs to a chair is the most common error. The cutoff is not a permanent seat. It is whichever player sits one seat right of the button this hand, and it changes every time the button moves.
Another frequent mix-up is assuming the button acts first. The button is the last seat to act on the flop, turn and river, and it acts late before the flop too. Beginners often hear “the button” and think “the dealer starts the action,” which is wrong in poker.
New players also forget that the blinds flip order. Before the flop the big blind acts last, and after the flop the small blind acts first. Missing this reversal leads to acting out of turn, which can create a binding action in many cardrooms.
Finally, beginners sometimes expect every table to use the same names. Terms like lowjack and hijack are used more at online and tournament tables, while many live games simply say “early,” “middle” and “late.” When in doubt, count seats from the button.
Using Position Names at a Real Table
Find the button first. At a live table the dealer button sits in front of one player, and the small blind and big blind are the next two seats to its left. From there you can count your own position in a few seconds, and you will always know roughly when your turn comes.
Dealers and players use position names as shorthand, such as “UTG is in for ten” or “the button called.” Listening for these names is a quick way to follow a hand you are not part of, and a good way to learn how others describe action. Online sites show a “D” marker on the button seat and often label the blinds on screen.
Position is a way to describe the table, and it does not make any hand a sure winner. Poker involves real financial risk, so set a budget before you play and treat it as entertainment spending rather than income.
What to Learn Next
Position makes the most sense once you know the hand sequence and the forced bets. If blinds still feel fuzzy, go back to the basics of how a pot is built, then practice naming each seat out loud as you deal a few practice hands with friends.
After that, look at other table vocabulary, such as the names for betting actions and common hand descriptions. Everything said at a table, from “raise” to “river,” is tied to who is in which seat, so these position names will keep coming up as you learn more.
