Table Position
Where you sit relative to the dealer button, which determines how early or late you act in each betting round.
Definition
Table position refers to a player's seat relative to the dealer button, which sets the order of action. 'Early position' players act first and have the least information; 'late position' players (especially the button, who acts last after the flop) act with the most information about what others have done. Acting later is a structural advantage: you see opponents' bets and checks before deciding, can control the pot size, and can bluff or value-bet more precisely. Because of this, sound strategy plays more hands from late position and fewer from early position. Position is one of the most consistently profitable concepts in poker.
Worked example
On the button, a player sees everyone else check the flop and fires a bet, taking the pot uncontested; the same weak hand played from early position would have been much harder to profit with.
Why it matters
Learners who simply play tighter in early position and looser in late position gain an edge with almost no other adjustment. Professionals treat position as a core variable that governs range width, bet sizing, and bluff frequency on every street.