The ‘button’ is a marker that is used to indicate who the dealer is during a poker game. The button moves round to the left as the game progresses.
What is the button in poker?
In the game of poker, the “button” refers to a small disc or token that is used to indicate the dealer position for a particular hand. The player sitting in the dealer position is said to be “on the button.” The button rotates clockwise around the table after each hand, ensuring that every player has an opportunity to be in different positions relative to the dealer.
Being on the button is considered advantageous in poker because the player on the button gets to act last during the betting rounds (after seeing how other players have acted), which can provide valuable information for making strategic decisions.
In addition to indicating the dealer position, the button also determines the order of betting. The player to the immediate left of the button posts the small blind, and the next player posts the big blind. These forced bets initiate the betting and create a starting pot. The action then proceeds clockwise around the table, with players having the option to call, raise, or fold based on their hand strength and strategy.