Poker study / TableRival
Poker positions: 6-max action order and heads-up
Find the button, identify who is still in the hand, then work out who acts next. Learn the seat names without confusing preflop order with postflop position.
Poker positions at a six-player table
Before the flop: action starts with UTG and continues clockwise. The list below shows the first pass, not a promise that BB ends the betting: a raise can send the action around again.
- 1 · UTG
- 2 · HJ
- 3 · CO
- 4 · BTN
- 5 · SB
- 6 · BB
| Seat | Name | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| UTG | Under the gun | Immediately left of BB; first to act preflop. |
| HJ | Hijack | Immediately before CO. |
| CO | Cutoff | Immediately before the button. |
| BTN | Button | The dealer position. |
| SB | Small blind | Immediately left of the button. |
| BB | Big blind | Immediately left of SB. |
Some charts label the first six-max seat LJ instead of UTG, or use MP for a middle seat. Check the actual seating order, not just the abbreviation. At a nine-player table, there are three extra seats before HJ; a nine-handed UTG chart is not automatically a six-max UTG chart.
Seat terminology and positional principles: PokerStars Learn — positions. The examples below are TableRival study exercises.
Who acts first after the flop?
On the flop, turn and river, the first player still able to act clockwise from the button acts first. Skip folded players and players who are already all-in. When the button is still able to act, it has the last position in that order.
Example: CO, BTN and BB see a flop. The order is BB → CO → BTN. CO acts after BB but before BTN. Saying “CO is a late seat” does not mean CO is in position against everyone.
Example: only UTG and BB remain. BB acts first and UTG second after the flop. UTG started first before the flop, but now has position on BB. Work out position again using the players who actually remain.
Acting later gives you information about earlier actions, not certainty about anyone’s cards. A check does not prove weakness and having position does not make every call profitable. Read the board and price of a call as well.
Heads-up is not the same as everyone folding to the blinds
A hand dealt to two players: BTN is also SB. BTN/SB acts first preflop; BB acts first after the flop.
A six-player hand folds to SB and BB: the button has folded. SB acts first both preflop and after the flop. Do not move the button in the middle of a hand.
The two-player button rule is stated in Poker TDA rule 34B. Check the rules of your own game for unusual situations such as a straddle.
This distinction matters when studying heads-up push/fold ranges. Also match effective stacks, antes, available actions and payout assumptions. Cash-game chip calculations and tournament decisions near payout jumps are not interchangeable; tournament analysis may need ICM, a model relating chip stacks to expected prize value.
Three poker position exercises
1. BTN folds. CO and BB see the flop. Who acts first?
BB, then CO. Skip the folded seats. CO now has position against the only opponent, BB.
2. A hand starts with two players. You are BTN/SB. Who acts first on the turn?
BB. In heads-up, BTN/SB acts first before the flop but after BB on later streets, provided both can still act.
3. Six players were dealt cards. Everyone folds to SB and BB. Is SB now the button?
No. The original button remains in place even though that player folded. SB acts first after the flop. This is a two-player pot, not a hand that started under heads-up button rules.
For a short drill, list the remaining seats in three invented hands and write the postflop order before revealing the answers. Add this to your 20-minute study routine, then record position in a hand review.