Table Position Terms
Your position at a poker table is referred to by many different terms. There are five specific terms that are commonly used to describe a specific position in relation to the button, illustrated below.
"Dealer", "Dealer's Button", or "Button" -
This is the best possible position as the player in the dealer's seat will be the last to act on
the flop, turn, and river.
"Under the Gun" -
This is the first player to take an action in the
hand. This player will be to the left of the big blind. Being under
the gun is considered to be the worst position in holdem. In its
defense, it is a lousy position, but an under the gun player will
actually have better position post-flop than the blinds.
"Big Blind" -
This is the player to the left of the small blind unless
the game is heads-up. See below.
"Small Blind" -
This player is directly to the left of the dealer's
button unless the game is heads-up. See below.
"Cutoff" -
This is the player to the right of the button. It's called
the cutoff because that position often "cuts off" the dealer's ability
to steal blinds by betting.
It should be noted that when play is heads-up, the player on the button
is the small blind and the other player is the big blind.
The other unnamed positions are commonly referred to in relation to the
dealer's button or the player under the gun, whichever is closer. The
player to the left of the player under the gun might say he's "To the
left of the gun" or "Under the gun plus one".
Another way that position is described is by the terms "early
position", "middle position", and "late position". These terms are
often abbreviated "EP", "MP", and "LP". Players in early position are
some of the first to act in a betting round, like the player who is
under the gun. "Late position" players are some of the last to act in a
betting round, like the cutoff seat and the player on the button.
"Middle position" is naturally the players in between. These terms are
often used when the table is full with nine or ten players. Once play
gets down to a few players, it can become confusing to describe what
middle position actually is.

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