Help • The Rules of Texas Holdem • How the Moving Button Works

Best Texas Hold'em uses the Moving Button system, which is the fairest way to assess blinds. The basic rules to keep in mind are:

• The dealer button always moves ahead to the next player at the table.
• The player after the dealer pays a small blind, and the player after that pays a big blind, unless they owe more.
• If a player misses a blind position because somebody before him left the game, he still must pay that missed blind the next turn. Because of this rule, there may sometimes be more than one small or big blind paid in a turn.
• Anyone joining the table must pay a big blind, no matter which seat he sits in.
• A player joining the table may choose an empty seat anywhere except for just before of the small blind. If he sits just before the dealer, the button will skip over him the next turn. If there are only two players, a third player may join anywhere, as shown below.

These situations may seem complicated, but as a player you don't have to worry too much about them, because the computer will take care of all the calculations for you. Here are some examples for what happens when players join or leave the table.

Two to three: player joins after the big blind.

Here is what happens when two people are playing and a third player joins after the big blind.

1

A and B are playing head-to-head. A has the dealer button and has just paid the small blind. B has just paid the big blind. C joins the table just to B's left.

2

The next hand C is dealt in. The dealer button moves to B. B pays a small blind because he has not paid one since the last time he was dealer. A pays the big blind because he will be the dealer in two moves. And C pays the big blind because he just joined the table.

3

Next hand, C is the dealer. Since he has not yet paid a small blind, he pays it now. A pays a small blind and B pays a big blind, as they normally would based on their table positions.

4

Finally things settle down to a normal three-person table.

Two to three: player joins after the dealer.

Here is what happens when two people are playing and a third player joins after the dealer.

1

A and B are playing head-to-head. A has the dealer button and has just paid the small blind. B has just paid the big blind. C joins the table just to A's left.

2

The next turn C is dealt in and the dealer button moves to C. Since C just joined the table, he must also pay a big blind. B pays a small blind because he will be dealer next round. A pays a big blind because he will be dealer two rounds from now.

3

Next, the dealer button moves to B. A pays the small blind and C pays another big blind. From here on, the game proceeds as a normal three-person table.

Four to three: Small blind leaves

1

A has the dealer button in a four-player game as shown. At the end of this hand B busts or stands up.

2

The dealer button skips B's empty seat to C. Since C has not yet paid a small blind, he pays it now even though he is the dealer. D would normally pay a small blind now, but since he hasn't yet paid a big blind he pays that now instead. A pays a big blind as he normally would, being two seats from the dealer.

3

The dealer button moves on to D. Just like C last hand, D has to pay the small blind even though he is the dealer. A pays a small blind and B pays a big blind as normal.

4

Finally things settle down to a normal three-player game.

Four to three: Big blind leaves

1

A has the dealer button in a four-player game as shown. At the end of this hand C busts or stands up.

2

The dealer button moves to B. D would normally pay a small blind in this position, but since he hasn't yet paid a big blind, he pays that now. A pays a big blind as he normally would based on his position.

3

The dealer button moves to D. Since D hasn't yet paid a small blind, he pays one now even though he is the dealer. A pays a small blind and B pays a big blind as normal.

4

Finally things settle down to a normal three-player game.