Button
word type: noun
- A marker used to indicate which player serves as the dealer in a given hand.
- The term used to describe the person who serves as the dealer in a hand. For example, if John is the dealer, he would be "on the button" and also have a marker in front of him called the "button" to indicate this.
- The player who is last to act if there is a permanent dealer, as one would find in a casino.
Popular Uses
I was on the button, and since everybody had folded pre-flop, I raised to try to steal the blinds, even though I had terrible cards. -Unknown
Origin
In the mid-1800's, in order to prevent cheating, poker players would take turns serving as dealer, as the dealer is the one who has the most opportunity to cheat. A marker was placed in front of the dealer in order to avoid any confusion as to whose turn it was to do the honors. Over the years, small discs became popular as markers and were eventually given the catch-all name, "button."
