Position Basics | The 6 Seat Names and Their Roles
A beginner-friendly guide to poker positions. Learn the names and roles of the 6 seats — BTN, SB, BB and more — plus the order of action.
📝 Where this article fits: Super Basics 6 / 13 | If you're still unclear on how blinds and the pot work, we recommend reading Blinds and the Pot first.
Position Basics | The 6 Seat Names and Their Roles
What You'll Learn
- What "position" means
- The name of each position (BTN, SB, BB, etc.)
- Characteristics of each position
- Position groups
- The order of action in the Preflop and Flop onward
🃏 What Is Position?
Position refers to where you're sitting relative to the Dealer Button (which you learned about in Game Flow).
Each seat at the table is named based on its relationship to the button.
🪑 The 6 Positions
Let's look at each position using a 6-player table (6-max) as our example.
The seat where the Dealer Button (D) is placed is BTN. Going clockwise from there: SB → BB → UTG → HJ → CO.
Here are the full names and abbreviations:
| Full Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Button | BTN |
| Small Blind | SB |
| Big Blind | BB |
| Under the Gun | UTG |
| Hijack | HJ |
| Cutoff | CO |
📍 Position Characteristics
Let's take a closer look at each position.
BTN (Button) — The Strongest Position
The seat where the Dealer Button sits. Simply called "the Button."
- From the Flop onward, you always act last
- You get to see everyone's actions before making your decision
💡 When you're on the BTN, feel free to play a bit more aggressively. Take advantage of your favorable position!
CO (Cutoff) — The Second-Best Position
The seat immediately to the right of BTN. The name means the seat that can "cut off" the Button.
- Second-most advantageous position
- If BTN folds, you effectively become the last to act
HJ (Hijack) — Middle Position
The seat immediately to the right of CO. A middle ground between early and late positions.
- A mid-range position with players both ahead of and behind you
UTG (Under the Gun) — First to Act Preflop
The ominous name means "having a gun pointed at you." It captures the pressure of being the first to act in the Preflop.
- First to act in the Preflop (everyone is watching from behind)
- You need a strong hand to enter the pot
⚠️ Be cautious from UTG. If you enter with a weak hand, players behind you will take advantage of you.
SB & BB (Blind Positions) — Special Positions
SB (Small Blind) and BB (Big Blind), as we covered in Blinds and the Pot:
- Must post forced bets before the hand begins
- Act first every round from the Flop onward
- Since you've already invested chips, there's a psychological temptation to stay in the hand
- SB acts before BB, so within the blinds, SB is even more disadvantageous
📝 The word "blind" refers to both the position name (the SB and BB seats) and the forced bet chips themselves. You can tell which meaning is intended from context.
🏷️ Position Groups
To make things easier to remember, let's organize the positions into groups.
Early Position (acts first)
- UTG (Under the Gun)
Middle Position
- HJ (Hijack)
Late Position (acts later)
- CO (Cutoff)
- BTN (Button)
Blind Positions
- SB (Small Blind)
- BB (Big Blind)
- As we learned in Blinds and the Pot, these seats must post forced bets — a special situation
🔄 Order of Action
In poker, the order of action differs between the Preflop and the Flop onward.
📝
- Preflop: Action starts with UTG and ends with BB
- Flop onward: Action starts with SB and ends with BTN
The table below shows the order from the Flop onward.
| Position | Abbreviation | Action Order (Flop onward) |
|---|---|---|
| Small Blind | SB | 1st |
| Big Blind | BB | 2nd |
| Under the Gun | UTG | 3rd |
| Hijack | HJ | 4th |
| Cutoff | CO | 5th |
| Button | BTN | 6th (Last) |
💡 For now, just remember this: "BTN (Button) acts last from the Flop onward, which makes it the most advantageous seat."
Summary
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Position describes where you sit relative to the Dealer Button
- Going clockwise from BTN: SB → BB → UTG → HJ → CO
- BTN (Button) is the most advantageous — you act last from the Flop onward
- The blind positions (SB & BB) act first from the Flop onward, making them disadvantageous
- For a deeper look at why position creates advantages, see the IP and OOP article
🚀 Next Step
Now that you understand position basics, it's time to learn which cards are worth playing. Understanding starting hand types and selection will make your positional decisions much more concrete!
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