Poker Positions in Order: Who Acts First

Poker positions run in a fixed order around the table: starting left of the button and moving clockwise, they are the small blind, big blind, under the gun, the middle seats, hijack, cutoff, and finally the button. The button is always last to act after the flop, which is why the entire order is built around it — the closer a seat is to the button, the better it is.

Poker positions in order

Here is the full clockwise order in a nine-handed game, starting from the seat left of the dealer button:

Order	Position	Short name	Group
1	Small blind	SB	Blinds
2	Big blind	BB	Blinds
3	Under the gun	UTG	Early
4	UTG+1	UTG+1	Early
5	UTG+2 / Lojack	LJ	Middle
6	Middle position	MP	Middle
7	Hijack	HJ	Late
8	Cutoff	CO	Late
9	Button	BTN	Late

Fewer players simply removes seats from the middle. A 6-max table, for example, is: small blind, big blind, under the gun, hijack, cutoff, button. The blinds and the button never disappear; the early and middle seats shrink. For the full breakdown of each seat, see poker positions explained.

Who goes first preflop

Once the blinds are posted, preflop action begins with the first player left of the big blind — under the gun. That’s why UTG is called first position: it’s the earliest to act, with the whole table still behind it, so it plays the tightest range.

Preflop action then moves clockwise:

1. Under the gun acts first.
2. Play continues through the early, middle, and late seats.
3. The blinds act last, because they already have money in the pot — small blind, then big blind closes the action.

So preflop, the big blind is the last to act. This is the one street where the blinds get a positional benefit, which is why the blinds work differently from every other seat.

Who goes first postflop

After the flop, the order changes. Now the small blind acts first, or if the small blind has folded, the first remaining player clockwise from the button. Action moves clockwise, and the button acts last on the flop, turn, and river.

Street	First to act	Last to act
Preflop	Under the gun	Big blind
Flop, turn, river	Small blind	Button

This flip is the heart of why position matters. The blinds act last preflop but first on every later street — the worst possible arrangement — while the button acts first preflop but last on every later street, the best arrangement. Since most chips move after the flop, the button’s order wins out. That’s why acting last is such an edge.

Worked example: reading the order

Nine-handed, it’s your turn to act preflop and you’re under the gun. Eight players sit behind you, any of whom could wake up with a big hand. You open only your strongest holdings — a tight range fitting first position.

Now imagine the same hand from the button. Everyone has folded to you. Only the two blinds remain, and both will act after the flop before you. You open a wide range, confident you’ll have last action all the way to the river.

Identical cards, opposite decisions — driven entirely by where you sit in the order. The order isn’t trivia; it dictates how many players can still hurt you and whether you’ll act with information or without it.

How the order shapes strategy

• Early seats (UTG, UTG+1): Act first, most players behind, so play tight and premium-heavy.
• Middle seats (LJ, MP): A bit more room to open, but still several players left to act.
• Late seats (HJ, CO, BTN): Few players behind and frequent last action, so open wide and steal.
• Blinds (SB, BB): Last preflop, first afterward — a discount to see the flop, offset by acting first on later streets.

The single principle behind all of it: the later you act, the more you know. That’s why the entire order is ranked from the blinds up to the button.

Put it together

Poker positions run small blind, big blind, under the gun, the middle seats, hijack, cutoff, and button — but who acts first depends on the street: under the gun preflop, small blind afterward, with the button last after the flop every time. Master the order alongside positions explained and see how it plays out in a full game of Texas hold’em.