Mastering The Button Position

A very important part of both cash game and tournament positional play is how you use the dealer button to your advantage.

Hand strength takes on a new meaning when you have the button as your positional advantage is the highest at the table, thus you can play hands of lower strength based on what the other players at the table are doing.

If you are holding a low strength hand pre-flop and there is an early raise at the table, you will still likely want to fold this hand; however, if you are holding a mid to high range hand, you will want to call or even re-raise the original bettor. Why you might ask? Because in poker, controlling the action if often half the battle. When on the button, you will always have the last play in any betting round. If players check before you, regardless of what hand you are holding, you have the option to be aggressive and bet players out. The only time this will backfire on you is when a player is check-raising on purpose to draw in more bettors.

Here are some tips when playing the button:

1. If all players fold to you on the button, raise to the small and big blind. If both have weak hands, you will win the blinds. If either have strong hands, a re-raise will be your hint to fold depending on how strong you feel your hand is.

2. You might think raising with a weak hand is a bad move in any position; however, by raising on the button, you can also throw players off as to what you are holding. A small flop could then really work in your favor with the positional advantage.

3. When all players check to the button, throw out a tester bet. Most players if not all will fold to this bet and those that call, you will be able to sense what they are sticking around for. Flush, straight draws and 2nd pairs would be good indicators of a call to your button bet here. Most made hands will re-raise you in this situation.

4. Finally, if you are going to play the button with a weak-mid strength hand, ensure you are playing it aggressively or you will lose your positional advantage and potentially allow other players to draw out. Always remember, throwing money into the pot isn’t always a loss with any hand strength if you are controlling the action.

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