Button

The dealer button is a small disc, usually marked with a D, that sits in front of one player to mark the nominal dealer for the current hand. It rotates one seat clockwise after every hand. In casinos and online, a professional dealer or the software handles the actual shuffling and dealing, so the button does not mean that player physically deals; it exists to fix the order of play — who posts the blinds, who acts first, and crucially who acts last. The Small Blind sits immediately to the button's left and the Big Blind one seat further along. Worked example of the button's value: post-flop, action begins to the button's left and ends with the button, so that player acts last on the flop, turn, and river. Picture two opponents checking to you on the button; you have watched both decline to bet before you decide, gaining information no one else at the table holds. That positional edge lets you bluff more credibly, extract thin value, control the pot size, and realise the equity of marginal hands more often — which is why win rates are highest on the button and worst in the blinds. The button matters because position is one of poker's most powerful and consistent edges; acting last is a structural advantage that compounds across a session. The common mistake is playing the same range of hands regardless of seat — too loosely from early position where you act first post-flop, and too tightly on the button where last action lets you play more hands. Skilled players widen their range in late position and tighten up out of position. The button also governs blind duties: as it passes, you will post the Big Blind and Small Blind in turn, paying to stay in the game.