03- 8-05, LearnTexasHoldem:

Dealer Button Placement

Question: Hello, I have been playing holdem for about six months. Prior to that friends and I have typically played various poker games for enjoyment. Don't get me wrong we are still very competitive. Since we began playing holdem the group and I have fallen in love with the game. We usually play house tournaments with approximately eighteen or twenty people.

One issue has continually come up during the games. I still have not read a clear cut answer to this question. So I will try with you.

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In our holdem games we usually rotate the deal by player. The little blind being just to the left of the dealer/button and the big blind is located to the left of the little blind. This a typical holdem set-up as I know it. The issue that usually arises is when a player or players get knocked out of the game and the new dealer has not paid a blind due to the deal landing on them.

As I understand a player should never be able to skip the big blind. If this is true should the dealer pay a blind and deal? Are there multiple options? Could you please expand on this subject? I would appreciate any information you could provide.

Answer: Yes, you are correct that the dealer button is first, then left of that is the small blind and then one more to the left is the big blind. There are a couple ways of handling blind structures when people get busted out. You mentioned the key rule and that is: No one gets to miss their big blind. The second rule is that when it becomes heads up play, the small blind is the dealer button and the big blind is the other guy. The third rule is that the dealer button always moves one space to the left after each hand.

The two problems you run into are when the person who was supposed to get the dealer button leaves and secondly when the person who was supposed to get the small blind leaves before the next hand. You don't have a problem when the big blind leaves because you just go to the next player. To solve the problem of the dealer player leaving you use what is called a "dead button." The dealer button moves one space to the left -- like it would normally do had the player not left -- even though there is no player seated there.

To be perfectly clear, you just move the dealer button to the empty chair -- no one gets dealt in though. What this does is keep the blinds in order and the next hand everything is back to normal. To solve to problem of the small blind leaving in the middle of the rotation, you can just skip it. Just have the dealer button and the big blind. Some casinos use another rule to fix this but it involves using two big blinds and then two small blinds. I would just use the no small blind to keep things simple.

Question: 3/9/05: I don't find the answer particularly clear. Confusing even.

- I understand and agree with what you're saying when the big blind busts out.

- When the dealer busts out there is no problem atall, so I don't understand why you even mention that. There is no need for a dead button.

- When the small blind busts out you just let the same dealer deal again. Is that what's called the dead button?

Maybe I'm missing something and I am simplifying things?

Thanks for all you do.

Ronnie

Answer: When I am referring to who gets knocked out, I'm not talking about their current position but what their next position would have been. For example, when I say the dealer button gets busted out, I mean the player who on the next turn would have gotten that position, not the person who just had that position; you do need a dead dealer button when that player gets booted. A dead button is when the dealer button seat -- literally the chair -- gets the button when no one is there so that the blinds remain in correct order.

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