What Seat at the Poker Table Is Best?

• Your seat at the poker table determines your position during each hand, and your position determines how much advantage you have over other players.
• In general, the later your position, the more of an advantage you have over your opponents.
• Having a later position provides you more information on other players, helps you control the pot size, allows you to widen your play range to more marginal hands, and gives you stronger opportunities to bluff.

Some poker players believe in lucky seats, especially those who go back to the same brick-and-mortar casinos and online poker rooms. But the most effective players know that it’s not all about luck — it’s about putting yourself in the best position to read the table and make strategic moves based on opponents’ decisions.

It can be a challenge to figure out which seat you should take at the poker table, but it’s an even bigger challenge to make the most of your position in every hand. Let’s dive into each position at a Texas Hold ’em table, go over the best positions and how to play them, and then explore how to pick the best seat at a poker table.

Positions vs. Seats at a Poker Table

In poker, your seat refers to the physical (or virtual, if you’re playing poker online) seat you’re sitting in. They’re typically numbered going clockwise from the dealer seat, which is static. Your position refers to your play order during a hand. Positions are also labeled going clockwise from the dealer position, which changes every hand.

In both land-based and online casinos, the seat numbers never change. However, positions change after every hand. And as players get knocked out of the game, some in-between positions may be eliminated to simplify the labels.

Every player has a position based on where they’re sitting in relation to the player in the dealer position. You pick your very first position when you first pick your seat at the poker table and sit down at the table. In online casinos, the lobby may seat you automatically based on what’s available at a table, or they will place you in a seat based on your preferences. For example, if you like to sit right next to the static dealer seat, you can set that preference and, if available, you’ll get seated there when you join a table.

You cannot pick your position once a hand starts. You also don’t formally change your position once you join a game either. You can change your seat, and thus your position, between hands by claiming an empty seat at your current table. Just ask for the “seat change” button from the dealer to call dibs on the next available open seat (or one that’s already empty). This prevents new players or others at the table from taking it. In an online casino, you can claim open seats at the virtual table through your “Options” or “Seating” menus.

You can also move to another table to change up your seat, your position, and your opponents.

What Are the Table Positions in Poker?

The number of actual positions at a Texas Hold ’em table depends on how many people are playing. In general, the names and power for each poker position remains the same no matter how many people are playing (with the exception of two-player games). For now, we’ll cover all the positions in a nine-player, also called a “full-ring,” game. As previously mentioned, some in-between terms (like UTG+1 or MP+1) may not be used in games with fewer people, such as if players get eliminated from the game.

Early Positions

Early positions refer to players who are the first to act after the blinds and before the flop.

Position 1 – Under the Gun (UTG): “Under the gun” refers to the player to the left of the big blind. They are the very first player to make a decision (call or raise) after hole cards are dealt and before the flop. That means a player that is UTG has no information about other players’ hands and cannot make a decision based on other players’ actions — they must make their decision based on their hole cards alone.

Position 2 – UTG+1: This is the second player to go after the deal and before the flop. Like the player to their right (who went before them), they don’t have any information on most of the players’ hands. It wouldn’t be wise to base their decision solely on the action of the UTG player before them, so they must also rely on the strength or weakness of their hand to decide whether to proceed or fold.

Middle Positions

Middle positions refer to players who are in the middle of the pre-flop betting.

Position 3 – UTG+2 or Middle Position (MP): This is generally the third person to bet before the flop in a nine-person game or the fourth to play in a 10-person game. They may also be the second person in a game with fewer people. While this position has two players’ decisions to go off of, they, too, should seriously consider the strength or weakness of their hand when making the decision.

Position 4 – MP+1 or Lojack (LJ): The (generally) fourth or fifth person to play has multiple players’ decisions to base their first move on, which gives them slightly more advantage on the players before them. For example, let’s say the player in the lojack position has a low-value pocket pair, like two 4s. The flop is two Kings and a 7. They have the potential for a full house. All the players before them, except one, folded. The lojack player might assume that the in-player before them has a decent hand because it wouldn’t be wise for that other player to make a big move when they’re in an early position.

Late Positions

Late position players are the last to place bets or fold before the flop.

Position 5 – Hijack (HJ): The Hijack player is generally the third-to-last player to make a move before the flop (sans the blind players). Again, they have more information about players’ hands and play style than those who went before them. What they do can really influence what the remaining players in the order do. For instance, a hijack player may raise on a weaker hand to bluff the players to their left out of the hand and challenge the players who called before them. This situation is possible for other late position players, too.

Position 6 – Cut-off (CO): The cut-off player is the second-to-last player to make a move, though they may also share the hijack position if the number of players is dwindling. This position provides the player much more room for calling or raising (in taking a chance to bluff). They also have multiple players’ decisions to consider, and that combined with knowledge from previous hands can help them make a decision.

Position 7 – The Button (BTN): The button, also known as “the dealer” position, has the privilege of the dealer button in front of them, even if they’re not dealing the cards (like they would in a home game). This player has the most information possible from the other players, giving them the biggest advantage in pre-flop play.

The Blinds

Though the small blind and big blind players are technically the final players to make a decision before the flop, they’ll always be the first players to play after the flop. That’s why we’ve separated them from the early or late positions.

Position 8 – Small Blind (SB): The small blind player puts in half the big blind before the deal and the flop, meaning they put their money in blind. However, after the other seven or so players either call or fold, they have a lot of insight into their opponents. But if they call and go into the flop, they’ll be the first player to make a move, losing all that potential for intel. For instance, the SB player has a hand within their tight range and checks to see the flop, but it produces nothing good for their game. They’re the first to act, and in order to protect their chips, they make a smart move and fold to watch the other players duke it out.

Position 9 – Big Blind (BB): The big blind player puts in the whole blind before the deal and flop. They are the very last player to act (either check, raise, or fold) before the flop. Like the small blind before them, they lose that precious position of insight after the flop as they become the second player (or first player, if the small blind folds before the flop) to go after the flop.

What Are the Best Positions in Poker?

In general, the best positions in poker with the most power are those that can gain information about their opponents’ hands from the highest number of players at the table. So, the later your position, the better off you are compared to players who go before you. That’s because you get more information on your opponents, such as tells and their overall play style, both of which can help you make more effective moves, including bluffs, and adapt your play style to better compete with theirs.

Players in the latest position — the button — generally have the most intel, and thus power, over their opponents. Before the flop, the blinds have a good deal of information from the initial round of betting, but, again, once the flop is dealt, they lose that advantage. Other late poker positions — the hijack and cut-off positions — also have a lot of advantages to open their play range from the deal, get the most out of strong hands, and even control the pot size with weaker hands.

Players in the middle position generally have more advantage over and a wider play range than early position players. When you’re in an early position, you should stick to a very tight range and avoid moving forward with low-value pocket pairs no matter whether you’re a strong player or not. This is to maximize your profits and avoid taking big chances when you don’t have enough intel to make big moves.

How to Pick the Best Seat at the Poker Table

Follow these general guidelines for picking the best seat at a poker table:

• Watch a few hands to get to know the players and the type of game they’re playing. Be a spectator before sitting down at any table. You don’t want to play at a table where there aren’t decent stacks of chips you can vie for, and you likely don’t want to play at a table where most players fold before the flop. You want a chance to make money through good action. You can even spectate online poker tables by choosing the “Spectate” or “View Table” options from the lobby. Generally, there will be a waiting list or join option once you start watching the table so you can get in on the action.
• Identify the strongest player at the table, and sit on their left (have them on your right). After watching the table for a while, figure out the strong and weak players. Then, sit to the left of the strongest player at the table so you can always react to their decisions. This can help you better manage your stack and adapt to big moves.
• Find a player with the tallest stacks and sit on their left. Since gameplay is clockwise and the strength of a player’s position depends on their clockwise relation to the dealer position, it makes sense that you’re more likely to win money from the person on your right than the person on your left. By sitting to the richest player’s left, you have a lot more chips to win than you would sitting next to someone with a short stack.
• Alternatively, sit to the left of weaker players for the same reason as above. Since you’re more likely to win from someone on your right, sit to the left of the weakest player to get the advantage over them and take their chips. This is especially helpful if you’re not the strongest player yourself.
• Try to start in the latest position possible. Follow the table’s play and identify where the button is. Then, try to start there or in a late position as close to it as possible. That way you can get as much intel on your opponents early on in the game that you can apply to future hands when you’re out of position.
• Change your seat after playing against your opponents for a while. If you find yourself sitting to the right of a really strong player or you’re to the left of someone with a small stack, consider changing your seat to gain an advantage back.

You’re not always going to be in a late position — you can’t just keep moving around the table with each hand. You have to learn how to play in each position so you can take advantage of strategic benefits when in a middle or late position and develop a tight playing style when you’re in an early position. That is the key to a consistent and effective poker strategy.
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