Where you sit

The six seats, and why acting last is worth so much.

Where you sit changes how good your hand is. The same cards can be a raise in one seat and a fold in another. The reason is simple: the later you act, the more you know.

In short

Six seats, each with a name. The button moves one seat to the left after every hand.
The two blinds put chips in before the cards are dealt, so there's always something to win.
After the flop, the button acts last. Acting last means seeing what everyone did first.
Good players play fewer hands from early seats and more from late seats. So should you.

The six seats

The app plays six-handed, the most common online game. Going around the table from the blinds:

Seat	Short name	What's special
Small blind	SB	Puts in half a big blind before the deal; acts first after the flop
Big blind	BB	Puts in a full blind; acts last before the flop
Under the gun	UTG	First to act before the flop, with five players still to come
Hijack	HJ	Two seats before the button
Cutoff	CO	One seat before the button
Button	BTN	Acts last on every street after the flop: the best seat

Before the flop, the player under the gun speaks first and the big blind speaks last. From the flop on, the small blind speaks first and the button speaks last.

Why acting last is worth so much

When you act last, everyone else has already shown you something. A check often means a weak hand; a bet usually means something worth betting. You get to decide with that information. The players before you had to guess.

Acting last also lets you control the pot. You can bet when they check, or check behind and see the next card for free.

5players still to act behind you under the gun

0players to act behind the button after the flop

So play more hands from later seats

From under the gun, five players are still to act, and any of them could wake up with a big hand. So strong players open only good hands there, and many more from the button. The Nit, the tightest villain in the app, shows the idea:

AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2sAKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2sAQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2sAJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2sAToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2sA9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92sA8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82sA7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72sA6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62sA5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52sA4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42sA3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332sA2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22

The Nit's open from under the gun: 144 combos, about 11% of hands.

Their open from the button: 310 combos, about 23% of hands. More than twice as many.

Don't worry about reading the grids yet. That's the next guide. For now, notice how much more of it fills in on the button.

Quick check

Who acts last after the flop?

The button
The big blind
Under the gun

Show the answer

The button. The button is last on the flop, turn and river. The big blind acts last only before the flop.

Try it

In your next few hands, note your seat before you look at your cards. Ask: how many players still act after me? The more there are, the stronger your hand needs to be.