Anyone who plays Hold’em has heard it at some point: position matters.
But the word “position” breaks down into two meanings: which seat you are in, and who speaks first between you and your opponent. Where beginners get stuck most often is that both are called “position” — so what is the actual difference?
If you are not yet sure what the blinds and the four betting rounds are, start with what Texas Hold’em is to get a feel for the game and how it is played, then come back.
1. The Idea of Position
We start with the names of the seats, move on to your position relative to your opponent, and finish with why different seats should play different hands.
- The names of the seats — Texas Hold’em Basics: Position Names at 6-Max and 9-Handed Tables What abbreviations like UTG, CO and BTN mean, why the order of action is different before and after the flop, and how early, middle and late position are divided. This is absolute position: where you are sitting
- Your position relative to your opponent — Why Good Players Love the Button: In Position vs Out of Position (IP/OOP) What separates being in position (IP) from being out of position (OOP), how to tell in a second, and the three most common match-ups. This is relative position: who speaks first between you and your opponent
- Which hands to play from which seat — Why Beginners Lose at Poker: No Sense of Position and Range What a range is, why the same hand is a raise on the button and a fold under the gun, and how the opening ranges of the five positions differ by a factor of four
2. Then These Six: What Each Seat Is Like
Based on a six-max table and ordered by who speaks first before the flop. Each post is short and covers that seat’s situation, which hands to open from it, and the most common mistakes:
| Seat | In one line | Default opening range |
|---|---|---|
| Under the Gun (UTG) | Five players still behind you; the highest bar at the table | 11.2% |
| Middle Position (MP) | A little looser than under the gun, but the two toughest seats are still behind you | 18.9% |
| the Cutoff (CO) | Where late position begins; the biggest threat is the button | 29.1% |
| the Button (BTN) | Always last to speak after the flop; the most profitable seat at the table | 46.9% |
| the Small Blind (SB) | Only one player left behind you before the flop, the worst position after it | 46.9% |
| the Big Blind (BB) | Money already on the table; which hands to play depends on the opener’s position | Roughly 10%–52% |
The opening ranges are the defaults in RushCraft’s preflop trainer: when everyone in front has folded and you are the first to enter the pot, the share of all starting hands worth raising with. The full grid for each one is also covered in the free Texas Hold’em preflop range charts.
3. After You Have Read Them
- Once you are done and want to try it out, practise opening in the browser: the preflop range trainer is free online practice; each question gives you a position and a hand, and you only have to answer open or fold
- Other preflop spots: facing a raise, getting 3-bet, facing a limp, and bet sizing are all in the complete guide to preflop play
- Look at your own numbers: split your hand history by position and see how different the number of hands you play under the gun and on the button really is. RushCraft splits your hands by position, starting hand and line of action