Texas Hold’em is positional — meaning that where you’re sitting in relation to the dealer frequently makes a huge difference in the way that you’ll play (even more so in no-limit than limit hold’em).

“Early” positions (the first players after the dealer) tend to have the toughest time, as they’re the first to bet, while “late” positions have seen what everyone else is doing and can make more informed choices.

The positions have formal or informal names. Going clockwise around the table:

• the dealer is the “button“, so-called because there is an actual button in front of the person who is dealing. Enjoy the simplicity, because that’s about the only literal term that Texas Hold’em jargon has to offer! The button is a late position — in fact, it’s the latest, and therefore almost always the best position to bet from, especially if you’re looking to “steal the blinds” (see below).

• the “small blind“, whose bet is forced on the starting (or “pre-flop“) round, but who bets first on all subsequent rounds (there’s more on this over at online casino USA).

• the “big blind” is also forced pre-flop, and ‘free’ for the rest of the hand (check out the online slots pages for more info as well).

• the next position is called “under the gun“, the toughest pre-flop position because that player has to bet first.

• some of the next positions may sometimes have names, though they’re less widely-used. When many people are at the table, these may be “middle” positions, which tend to have neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. The fewer people there are at the table, the more likely any players after the blinds will be considered to be “late” positions instead.

• the last position before the button is known as the “cutoff“. A relatively-common (but not universal) name for the player immediately before the cutoff is the “hijack” position. Both of these names represent the player’s ability to “steal the blinds” from the next player in line.

“Stealing the blinds” simply refers to the classic move of raising to make everyone else fold, and therefore taking the blinds without a contest. Obviously, this becomes easier to do the later your position at the table. It’s usually dramatic and sometimes very smart to do so, but it’s merely one part of an overall strategy — I only bring it up now because that’s how those positions got their names!