Table Games : The Poker Dealer Button

You should pardon the simplicity of this question, but how does a player know who deals, and when, at televised poker? Many are wondering about this, so ... why not satisfy their curiosity.

At televised poker, the game usually played is Texas Hold ' em that has as many as 10 players. Look closely at the TV image next time, Tammy, and you will see a small disk that is just in front of one of the contestants. This disk is called the "button."

This button shows who would be dealing the cards if he or she were actually the dealer. If you have the hold on the dealer button you have an advantage in Texas Hold ' em due to the fact that the dealer is the last player to act.

By acting last, that player has some precious information when it’s betting time. The positional advantage remains throughout the hand, after which it then passes clockwise to the next player for the next hand. Thus, all players in the game have equal opportunities to hold this rotating positional advantage.