Who Goes First In Texas Hold Em

Before you go to your local casino to sign up for a poker game, you need to understand the basics of the game. More importantly, you need to know which player starts the game and why. In Texas Hold'em, the player who goes first (starts) depends on the position of the hand being played. The participant seated to the immediate left of the big blind will act first before the flop.
After the flop, the person sitting in the small blind spot acts first. Afterward, the sequence is maintained for the remainder of the hand via the Turn, River, and Flop. Generally, the order of play depends on how the participants sit at the poker table. In the following sections, this article will examine the player that goes first under different scenarios.
Pre-flop with 3 or more players
In the 1st lap of play, the sequence of betting (the pre-flop betting), differs from the pattern of the successive betting laps. For a pre-flop, the person seated to the big blind's immediate left acts first; and this position is often called 'Under The Gun (UTG).' Once the UTG player acts, the game proceeds in clockwise order till it gets to the big blind, who is the last player on the pre-flop betting lap. For each corresponding betting rounds, turn, flop, and river, the person in the small blind seat will act first and the person in the dealer seat will act last.
Heads-up play
In a heads-up contest, the pre-flop sequence is changed. A player acts first rather than the button playing last before the flop. The big blind normally plays last before the flop; also, the button is the small blind in the heads-up situation, hence they play before the big blind person. In the post-flop, heads-up remains unchanged and the button plays last although theoretically, they are the small blind.
Pre-flop – heads-up play
For the case of heads-up, the pre-flop pattern shifts. The button acts first before the flop instead of acting last. That's because the other participant posts big blinds, which means that the button is the person to the left of the big blind. During a heads-up match, the participant to the left of the big blind plays first pre-flop, therefore, in this scenario the button will play first pre-flop. You need to remember that the big blind often acts last before the flop. Therefore, since the button is the small blind in a heads-up match, they have to play before the big blind participant.
Post-flop– heads-up play
The betting pattern is similar for the heads-up play during a post-flop match. That's, the button will act last although they are the small blind. The post-flop pattern doesn't change. But, when there's a participant who overlaps, the pre-flop sequence of play may be changed slightly. An overlap happens when a participant seated to the immediate left of the big blind puts a double big blind bet before them just before the cards are dealt. Effectively, the player is purchasing the privilege of acting last before the flop. In the case of an overlap (straddle), the player sitting to the immediate left of the 'straddler' plays first pre-flop after the straddle is wagered.
The long and short of it is that, it is better to be in position (act last) than being out of position (act first) in Texas Holdem or any other poker game. You also need to remember that poker is an information-based game; therefore, the player who acts last will have more information than any other player. Consequently, the best seat in a poker match is any seat that allows you to play last.