Improving your win rate from the button is a critical component of overall profitability in poker. The button is arguably the most powerful position at the table, and it’s where your win rate should be at its highest. If you’re an online player and your button win rate is in the mid-20s big blinds per hundred (BB/100) or lower, it’s a strong sign that you have leaks in your game. Even for players already achieving a solid 35 to 40 BB/100, there is always room for improvement.
To effectively plug these leaks, you need to break down your button play into its core components and address each one individually. This guide will walk you through identifying and fixing the most common pre-flop and post-flop leaks.
Pre-Flop Strategy: The Foundation of Button Play
Your pre-flop decisions set the stage for the rest of the hand. Here’s a breakdown of the key areas to analyze.
1. Button Raise First In (RFI)
Frequency: Game Theory Optimal (GTO) strategy suggests a button Raise First In (RFI) frequency in the low 40s (e.g., 41-42%). However, data from online databases shows that many winning players are even more aggressive, with RFI frequencies of 50% or higher.
Exploitative Adjustments:
- Against Weaker Players: You should profitably widen your opening range when there are weaker players in the blinds. This applies to “nits” who fold too often, loose recreational players, and even active defenders who make frequent post-flop errors. It is a mistake to tighten up against active but weak opponents; this is a prime opportunity to expand your RFI range.
- Sizing Strategy: Using a single, static raise size from the button is a potential leak. A modern, effective strategy often involves using multiple RFI sizings. It is generally better to open for a larger size on the button (e.g., 2.5x or 3x) compared to an early position raise, which might be a min-raise.
- Exploitative Sizing: When you are widening your range specifically to target nits, using a smaller size like a min-raise can be effective. This is because these players are often “inelastic,” meaning their defending range doesn’t change much based on the size of your raise. In these exploitative scenarios, balance is not a primary concern.
2. Button Defense (Cold Calling & 3-Betting)
When facing an open raise from another position, your defense strategy from the button is crucial.
- 3-Bet Frequency: Your target 3-bet frequency from the button should be around 8%. If your stats show a frequency that is significantly different (such as 3% or 15%) over a large sample size, it points to a leak in your strategy.
- Cold Call Frequency: A healthy cold call frequency is generally between 6-8%. While GTO often suggests an even lower frequency (under 6%), you can often get away with calling more, potentially up to 10-12%. This is especially true if the players in the blinds are not aggressive squeezers or are weak post-flop. A cold call stat above 12% is a major red flag, likely indicating you are making unprofitable calls, and you should tighten up.
- Cold Calling Range:
- Hands to Call: Your calling range should include suited broadways, suited Aces (though these are also great 3-bet candidates), premium off-suit broadways like KQo and AQo, and mid-to-high pocket pairs (66+ or 77+). Even a hand like 22 can be a profitable call in some situations.
- Hands to Avoid: Steer clear of cold calling weak off-suit broadways (KJo, KTo, ATo), a wide array of suited connectors, and suited gappers. Low pocket pairs are also often poor calls due to the high risk of being squeezed out of the pot by the blinds.
3. Playing Against a 3-Bet
How you react when your button open is 3-bet by the blinds has a significant impact on your win rate.
- Fold to 3-Bet Frequency: Your fold frequency against a 3-bet should be in the 50-60% range. This can vary based on the 3-bet sizing; you might fold closer to 50% against smaller 3-bets and closer to 60% against larger ones. Folding 70% or more, or conversely, folding less than 50%, is a sign of a leak.
- Calling Range vs. 3-Bet:
- Hands to Call: Good hands to call a 3-bet with include suited broadways (TJs+), mid-to-high pocket pairs (66+, 77+), and premium off-suit broadways (AQo, KQo, sometimes AJo).
- Hands to Avoid: You should typically fold weaker off-suit broadways (KTo), most suited connectors and gappers, and low pocket pairs (22-55). While calling with many suited connectors was once popular, GTO solvers generally do not favor defending the weaker ones in this spot.
- 4-Betting: Your 4-bet frequency from the button should be around 8%. A GTO 4-betting range typically includes big pairs (TT+) and Ace-King for value, balanced with semi-bluffs like suited Aces.
- Exploitative 4-Betting: Your semi-bluffing strategy should adapt to your opponent. GTO semi-bluffs (like suited Aces) have a near-zero expected value (EV). If an opponent folds to 4-bets significantly less than GTO (e.g., 40% or less), these semi-bluffs become unprofitable, and you should cut them from your range. Conversely, if an opponent over-folds (folding more than ~58% of the time), 4-betting becomes “auto-profitable,” and you can begin 4-betting hands you would normally fold.
4. Isolation Plays
Isolating weaker players is a key principle for generating a high win rate.
- Button ISO Range: Your isolation-raising range against a limper should be similar to your RFI range, just slightly tighter. If you RFI 40% of hands, a good button ISO range would be around 30-35%.
- 3-Bet to ISO: This advanced play involves making a small 3-bet with a hand not typically in your value range, with the goal of getting heads-up against a weaker player who opened.
Understanding Relative Win Rate in Your Tracker
Many players misinterpret the data in their tracking software, assuming any red (negative) number is a leak. It is crucial to understand
relative win rate.
For example, if you open for 3 BB and face a 3-bet, folding guarantees a loss of 3 BB. If you choose to 4-bet a semi-bluff and your tracker shows that play has a win rate of -1.5 BB, it is actually a
better play than folding because it loses half as much. It has a positive relative win rate of 1.5 BB compared to folding.
This concept is vital. Tightening up by folding more semi-bluffs might make one specific filter in your database look better, but it can harm your overall win rate by moving those hands into a more negative folding category. Paradoxically, if your “Call vs. 5-bet” filter shows a
positive win rate, it’s a leak indicating you are folding too often and missing out on profitable calls based on pot odds.
Post-Flop Strategy: Capitalizing on Position
To maximize your button win rate, you must master the most common post-flop scenarios.
- Single Raised Pots (Heads-Up, In Position): This is the most frequent spot you will find yourself in after opening the button. You need to analyze your continuation betting (C-bet) frequencies on all three streets, your delayed C-bets, and how you defend against probes from your opponent.
- 3-Bet Pots (As the Aggressor): Since you should be 3-betting aggressively from the button, you will often be the pre-flop aggressor in 3-bet pots. The same analysis of C-betting frequencies and lines applies here.
- 3-Bet Pots (As the Defender): When you call a 3-bet from the blinds, you need a solid plan for facing C-bets. Analyze your tendencies when your opponent checks (float bets) and when they check the turn after betting the flop. It’s also critical to define how strong your hand needs to be to call down one, two, or three streets of aggression, adjusting your range based on opponent type.
By systematically working through these pre-flop and post-flop components, you can identify the specific leaks in your button play and take concrete steps to boost your win rate from the most profitable seat at the table