Poker: Utilising the Button

The button is the most powerful position at the Unibet online wedden poker table for a number of reasons and if you want to win as much as Phil Ivey or Tom Dwan you need to know how to utilise is properly.

The reason why the button is such an advantageous position is that it allows you to see all the action before you make your decision. Having this luxury means you can make better moves simply because you’ll have more information at your disposal.

The best way to utilise your position on the button is to raise or re-raise whenever you have the chance. By virtue of having position, it naturally means your opponent’s will be out of position and this is the best time to put pressure on them.

Forcing them to either fold, call out of position (a terrible thing to do) or commit even more money by re-raising, gives you the advantage in the hand. Indeed, any time you can seize the momentum it gives you two ways to win the pot: by having the best hand or by forcing your opponent to fold.

Another way to use the button to your advantage is to flat call with your premium hands. While it’s usually best to re-raise with your trap hands (i.e. suited connectors which can make disguised hands that your opponent wouldn’t suspect), it’s often wise to flat call with your strong hands in position. The reason for this is twofold: it underplays what you have and it gives someone a chance to make a squeeze play.

The first reason requires little explanation, but the latter is worth of some expansion. Because it’s common for the player on the button to call with a wide range of hands (namely because they are in position and want to take advantage of that fact), the players in the blinds will often try to push you and the original raiser out of the pot by making a 3-bet (or squeeze play). Thus, by calling with your premium hands on the button you give players the opportunity to make a mistake.

Playing the button is all about using your position to force your opponent into making mistakes. If you can do this then you’ll be well on your way to becoming a much more successful poker player.