The Poker Dead Button Rule

If you're playing poker at home with friends, you've got to follow position rules to play it right. The dealer button is used to mark who's supposed to deal and as reference to the blind posters. The player by the dealer's left posts the small blind and next player posts the big blind. So when they are eliminated from the table, the dealer button is moved accordingly to indicate positions for the subsequent blinds. This is known as the dead button rule.

Remember that as long as there are two players seated to the dealer button's immediate left, the responsibility for the blinds will move to them. Consider this, you've got four other poker buddies and you're the dealer. Later on, the player to your left (the small blind) is eliminated. Here's how the dead button rule goes down:

When the button is moved to the empty seat to your left, you'll keep the dealer status because you're the player to its right from the empty seat. As a result, positions will change and the original big blind poster will be responsible for posting the small blind. And the next player becomes the new player to post the big blind.

If in the same situation, the big blind poster was eliminated first, the dead button rule will go down like so:

When the button is moved to the left, the small blind poster will become the dealer. Since there's no one seated to that player's immediate left for the small blind, it will be moved again to next seat which is empty. As mentioned, if it's moved to an empty position the player to its right will retain the dealer duty. After it's moved, there are now two seated players to its immediate left and they'll consequently hold the positions to post the blinds.

In some cases, the players posting the blinds will be out of the game at the same time. So if there are five of you and you're the dealer, correct positioning will show that you'll keep the dealer button. Since it's moved to the left twice to the second free seat, the blinds will move as well. As a result, the other two remaining players will respectively post the blinds.

The dead button rule maintains that eliminated blind posters will warrant the button's movement so that there will still be players to post the blinds. It's important to know that there should be two players to its immediate left to be accurate. So when the blinds go out, follow this rule and you can be sure that a fun and smooth poker night will be carried out.