Three-handed, the button is the only player who hasn’t put forced money into the pot. Even in five- or sixway action, a couple of folds can leave you isolated against the blinds. That’s the time to go to war!

As a rule of thumb, you should plan to open-raise from the button with any two cards until the blinds start playing back at you. Not only will this win you a number of uncontested pots, it will also establish you as a powerful, aggressive force at the table – a force to be reckoned with.

Since short-handed play is much less about catching cards than about controlling the action, this is exactly the force you want to be.

Here are the key considerations of button play in a short-handed game.

Attack the blinds!
Remember, most of the time nobody has much of a hand. Put pressure on the blinds, and don’t worry too much about them calling along, because…

It’s hard to hit a flop
Two-thirds of the time, your opponent’s unpaired cards will not connect with the board. Of course, two-thirds of the time, neither will yours. But he doesn’t know that. Stay aggressive on the flop. Remember, he has a random hand – and you have position.

Know when to say when
If you get carried away with naked aggression, your foes will eventually adapt. Try to stay ahead of their adjustments. Even if you’re getting away with steals, fold from the button every once in a while so that a) you don’t become too predictable and b) your other button raises seem more real.