To Steal or Not to Steal the Button

The button position (being the last to act from late position) is the most coveted one in poker. And because it is coveted many would like to steal the button. There are pros and cons on this matter, and we should know the right timing on when to steal and when not to steal the button.

To steal the button we must first get a premium hand - or at least one that has the potential to be so, especially on the flop or post flop. Then we use the premium hand to knock off the button player including the player to his right. We can be helped with this if we always note the betting strategies of the players to our left.

We need tight players to our left when we want to steal the button. These players seldom make aggressive bets. When the player is a loose one, we have fewer odds to steal the button. Then, get ready to be checked post flop. We may bet, but we may also opt to check to avoid being typed as an aggressive player. Or, we may check if we see that we're a bit running out of chips.

But whatever we do, we should never be tied bound to bet and raise just to go after our money in the pot. To steal the button this way is a sure way of losing the game. Just release the right amount of bets - not too high, not too low bets. Remember, to steal the button is very risky business. If we lose, we try to keep our loss to the minimum.

Now, here's the main thing. When we sense the button has a weak hand, we try to bluff our way or use a hidden hand to steal the button and the pot. This usually is the right thing to do if we have a strong hand post flop. But never try to steal the button if we sense another player has a much stronger hand than what we have. Or, if we sense that someone to our left is hell bent on calling a raise no matter what the score, we abandon plan to steal the button.

Just remember that in all these, stealing the button is no big deal - chances are, even if we steal the button, it will not make us win profitably in the round. The idea here is really to earn a better position for some win - if possible. That's all.