Position

Position on the table in poker is a critical element to the game and is often overlooked. To the inexperienced it may look as though the only difference between early and late position is if you have to bet first or not for the rest of the hand. This is certainly not the case and this article will outline why it is so important to understand the concept of position is poker.

There are three types of positions you can be in when playing in a poker hand, early, middle and late. The person that is first to act (commonly called under the gun) is the earliest position. This means that every decision they make will be based on not knowing a great deal of information about the other player’s hands at the table. Middle position, as the name implies, your action takes place before and after some players. Late position are the people that are close to the button and act last. There are two common names for people in late position, the cut-off and on the button. The person that acts before the person with the button is called the “cut-off”, whilst the person with the button is “on the button”.

Now that we understand what positions are where and their common names, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of playing in these positions. The obvious disadvantage of playing in early position is that you have to act first. You might be wondering why does that really matter? The critical reasons include firstly, that it is a lot harder to gain information on the other player’s hands at the table. If you bet and they call, what have you learnt about their hand? He could be simply calling because he thinks you made a continuation bet, he could be on a draw or he could have a monster hand. Even though you have bet and he has called you still do not know where you stand in the hand. Another reason why it is important is of what can happen pre-flop. Your hand selection is vital when acting from an early position because of this very reason. If you raise the pot with A10 and you get re-raised, you have a difficult decision to make. The person that acted after you has more information to work with, while you raised with little information about your fellow opponents’ hands. Someone who raises pre-flop from early position and then folds to a re-raise stinks of someone that doesn’t know much about the importance of position. Consistently tightening your selection of playing hands pre-flop in the early position is essential due to this fact.

When playing in middle position you can start to play hands in your style of play. You already know information about the people that have acted before you, but keep in mind there are people still to act after you. Play a different range of hands, be unpredictable, use your own style of play and get comfortable with it. People do not know whether you have a weak or a strong hand, or if you are just looking to take the pot down. This allows you to have a greater degree of influence over others. You can establish the table image that you want from this position, but at the same time you have to take into consideration the people that are acting after you.

Late position is the ideal place to play on the poker table. Either the cut-off position or the button are generally viewed as the best positions to play from. In these positions you have information on who has folded, raised and re-raised. You also have the advantage of being able to gather more information on your opponents after the flop, turn and river are dealt. Knowing that your opponent has checked or bet can save you a lot of money. If you were to act first and made a continuation bet when you missed the flop, it can be very costly if your opponent has a great hand. Acting last enables you to add the element of surprise and dictate the hand in the way that you want. It is very hard for your opponent to see where he stands in the hand if you are acting after him. Use their lack of information to your advantage and maximize the payout.

In summary, it is the information that you gather on your opponent that can lead to the correct decisions being made. It is not as simple as who bets first. Understand how the positions that you play in can affect the rest of the hand and play accordingly. Play fewer hands in early position and more in late position. Learning the dynamics of position at the table can enhance your decision making capabilities, use it to your ability over those that don’t!