Button Talk

To move the button or not to move the button, that is the question. For years, there has been a disparity among poker rooms concerning the rule that is used to move the button in flop games. Honestly, I don't know which method was used first and when the second option came into effect, but for as long as I have been involved in poker, there have been two very distinct procedures. These two procedures are called a "dead button" and a "forward-moving button."

With a dead button, every player is forced to post both the big blind and the small blind each round, and post them in the correct position. The correct position for the big blind is two spots to the left of the dealer button, and the small blind is one spot to the left of the dealer button. This means that there are situations in which the button will actually stay in the same spot, or with the same player, for more than one hand. Theoretically, the button could stay with the same player for many hands in a row.

With the forward-moving button, every player is forced to post both the big and the small blinds every round, but the button continues to move to the next active player regardless of what position the blinds are being posted. This means that sometimes players will post blinds when they have the button or are behind it.

For the most part, all of the Las Vegas poker rooms seem to favor using the dead button for both tournaments and ring games. But outside of Las Vegas, there doesn't seem to be any pattern for what procedure is used.

So, which method is better, and why? I think both of the methods are good, and there are positives and negatives for both. My preference is to use a dead button for tournaments and a forward-moving button for ring games.

In tournaments, the number of hands that a player gets to look at before the blinds approach becomes very important, especially in the late stages. When using a forward-moving button, there are many instances when a player is forced to post blinds unexpectedly when a player in front of him busts out. In addition, having multiple blinds favors those players who are in position on specific hands.

Using a dead button in tournaments allows for the button to move around the table according to who has and has not posted the blinds. A player who has five hands until his blinds are due will still get to see all five of the hands (unless multiple players bust out). With a forward-moving button, the player gets to see five hands minus a hand for each player who busts out between him and the big blind. Of course, there is an advantage to the player who gets to have the button for multiple hands.

Using a forward-moving button in ring games is beneficial because the button does not remain with one player for multiple hands, and every hand has at least a small and a big blind (and more if a player leaves the game in the blinds).

There are many unique situations with both methods that are positive and negative for both tournaments and ring games. But overall, I believe that a forward-moving button is best for ring games and a dead button is best for tournaments. In fact, I don't think a forward-moving button should ever be used in a tournament.

So, you would think that I am advocating the use of a different method for ring games and tournaments, right? No.

With the increased popularity of tournaments and the massive number of new players coming into the game, I think that using two different methods does nothing but cause confusion. New players who sit in a game for the first time with a forward-moving button are often perplexed and can't understand the logic. Tournament poker is slowly defining the way the game is played, and I think it is time to become consistent with this particular procedure. Although a forward-moving button might be better for ring games, using a dead button is acceptable and slowly becoming the norm.

It's time for poker rooms that use a forward-moving button to ditch the inconsistency. Imagine how great it would be if every player who walked into a poker knew how the button was going to move. It's a step toward making rules consistent throughout all poker rooms.