Hi there,
Just enquiring about some rules in regards to button and blinds placements in these situations.
1. If seat 1 is the dealer and seat 4 is the small blind and seat 5 is the big blind, seats 2 and 3 are vacant but now two new players occupy those seats, what happens? Do they have to wait next hand where the button moves past them to seat 4?
2. Same situation as 1 but can either seat 2 or 3 buy the button? If not why not?
3. If a player elects to buy the button who is left of the button but right of the small blind by posting both blinds can the player directly left of them who was the original small blind straddle?
4. If seat 5 is the button and seat 1 is the big blind in a heads up situation, what happens if three new players fill the vacant seats of seats 2, 3 and 4? Does the button next hand go to seat 1? Can the new players play? Or do they have to wait again for hand 3 for the button to skip past them to seat 5 in hand 3?
This is all assuming we are using the simplified forward moving button rule.
Thanks.
1 and 2 are pretty much the same thing. The new players can both wait for the button to pass if desired or ONE of them can buy it, but not both. The option goes to seat 2 first. If he buys it, seat 3 MUST sit out one hand, then has the option to buy it himself.
3 yes. He is UTG. All your blind scenarios are irrelevant. If UTG straddles are allowed, he can straddle.
4 this would be pretty rare in a live situation as the table probably would have broken before that happened. Therefore, I don't know, but maybe just deal for the button like it's a new table.
It might happen online. And online systems might do something unconventional in that situation. But that's ok because regardless of whatever weird rule online uses, they will be consistent. Therefore, although it may be 'wrong', it'll be wrong the same way every time, so the result averages out.
Hi Dave,
Thank you so much for your reply!
Ok so for question 1, you say both can wait for the button to pass, does that mean if neither wish to buy the button does the hand play out with seat 1 as the button and the next hand seat 4 is the button and the new players in seats 2 and 3 can post a live big blind or naturally wait for the big blind? Arrr ok so if seat 2 buys it, next hand seat 3 has the option to buy it you are saying?
For question 2 thanks for clarifying, I tried using AI and looking online but the closest I found was they couldn't straddle in that scenario because they weren't a true UTG but that's nonsense right? You definitely can?
For question 4 are you saying it's better to do high care for dealer position again? If not what would your instinct tell you? I for one would imagine the button would go back to seat 1 and the vacant seats would have to sit out one hand for the hand to play out and seat 5 to have the button again so the new players can come in. However the forward moving button states that it goes to the next active player which the new players are. In the other hand they are new players between the big blind and button so I'm not sure.
1 If the house rules state the new players must post, then they are better off buying the button as I suggested. Very few poker rooms that I go to have that posting rule. Yes, if seat 2 buys it seat 3 must wait one hand and then get the option to buy it himself.
2 Again, it's a house rule whether or not a player can straddle twice in a row in that scenario. Where I've seen it, it was always allowed.
4 I really don't know, but I would think that dealing for a high card would be the best option