Just How Important Is Poker Position?
Once you have mastered the basics of Texas Hold'em you will quickly discover that your position during a hand will affect how you should play. Many players soon realise that their relative position affects their game, but most underestimate just how important it can be. This is as a result of the dealer moving the button around per turn, in order to ensure that all players present are required to pay a blind.
Position really is important when it comes to poker, indeed it can give you a major boost (or prove to be a deadweight). Put simply, the more information you have at your disposal, the better you will be able to more clearly and precisely determine the wisest way forward.
The vast majority of poker hands will involve the table position as a factor in the equation, so let us consider in more detail how we should weigh it in our calculations. The early position which includes the blind spots is located immediately after the dealer. Without a doubt, these spots pose the greatest challenge for the player because you will have no idea as to the hands of your opponents. The name "blinds" is an apt one.
The next three spots are widely perceived and recognised as the "middle ground" and whilst they are not quite as severe as the blind position (though you will not have too easy an time here.) The next three steps in the cycle are known as the "late position" and this is regarded as the most favourable position as it allows for the player in this spot to know all of the players hands. As the clich goes, knowledge truly is power.
Sharp eyed readers will have noticed that the blinds are acting last, however I must clarify this: this is only applicable in the very first round of gameplay. All subsequent rounds have this role reversed meaning that the blinds will be required to play their hand first and the dealer button is the last on the list. This has an impact on gameplay because many players will attempt to "steal the blinds" before the flop in a makeshift attempt to secure some sort of advantage for themselves.
Now that you can more clearly perceive the layout of the table, let us consider a hand scenario that will vary according to the position held. Let us say for argument's sake that you happen to possess a ten and a seven of the same suit and you decide to submit a raise of $3. The player beside you matches your aggression, placing a bid of $5, and another player seeking to jump on the bandwagon, decides to raise it even further, to $10. In such a case, what is the best way forward? After all, you are not in a prime position here, and you have another major variable hovering in the balance: the player after you. You have no way of knowing what he will play, but rest assured, what he DOES play will be influenced by what you decide to play. The worst thing about this kind of hand is that you cannot predict or foretell just how much this particular hand will cost you in the long run.
If we consider things from another angle, let us say for argument's sake that you are now stuck with the same hand, with the difference being you are firmly situated in the "cutoff" spot. Here, a mediocre hand has actually risen in usefulness and strategic value purely on the basis of your position. So far you have been preceded by no less than 4 limpers and so with this information you can only assume that they have weak hands. In this sort of situation you could always join the crowd and limp along too, and hold out in the hope of unearthing a monster card which will secure you the jackpot. Limping is a totally acceptable strategy in these sort of situations because you can sustain the limping long enough to win a good hand.
Please note though that a lot of flops are going to go right past you and so if you go in too cheap, you will be cutting the odds of you recouping your losses. Position is king in poker and so it is a variable that should be exploited for full use. As your experience grows, so will your confidence as to how to use the position effectively.
Position is very significant in Hold'em, indeed it is no exaggeration that there has been entire games won purely on the strength (or lack thereof) of a decent hand. - 2361
Position really is important when it comes to poker, indeed it can give you a major boost (or prove to be a deadweight). Put simply, the more information you have at your disposal, the better you will be able to more clearly and precisely determine the wisest way forward.
The vast majority of poker hands will involve the table position as a factor in the equation, so let us consider in more detail how we should weigh it in our calculations. The early position which includes the blind spots is located immediately after the dealer. Without a doubt, these spots pose the greatest challenge for the player because you will have no idea as to the hands of your opponents. The name "blinds" is an apt one.
The next three spots are widely perceived and recognised as the "middle ground" and whilst they are not quite as severe as the blind position (though you will not have too easy an time here.) The next three steps in the cycle are known as the "late position" and this is regarded as the most favourable position as it allows for the player in this spot to know all of the players hands. As the clich goes, knowledge truly is power.
Sharp eyed readers will have noticed that the blinds are acting last, however I must clarify this: this is only applicable in the very first round of gameplay. All subsequent rounds have this role reversed meaning that the blinds will be required to play their hand first and the dealer button is the last on the list. This has an impact on gameplay because many players will attempt to "steal the blinds" before the flop in a makeshift attempt to secure some sort of advantage for themselves.
Now that you can more clearly perceive the layout of the table, let us consider a hand scenario that will vary according to the position held. Let us say for argument's sake that you happen to possess a ten and a seven of the same suit and you decide to submit a raise of $3. The player beside you matches your aggression, placing a bid of $5, and another player seeking to jump on the bandwagon, decides to raise it even further, to $10. In such a case, what is the best way forward? After all, you are not in a prime position here, and you have another major variable hovering in the balance: the player after you. You have no way of knowing what he will play, but rest assured, what he DOES play will be influenced by what you decide to play. The worst thing about this kind of hand is that you cannot predict or foretell just how much this particular hand will cost you in the long run.
If we consider things from another angle, let us say for argument's sake that you are now stuck with the same hand, with the difference being you are firmly situated in the "cutoff" spot. Here, a mediocre hand has actually risen in usefulness and strategic value purely on the basis of your position. So far you have been preceded by no less than 4 limpers and so with this information you can only assume that they have weak hands. In this sort of situation you could always join the crowd and limp along too, and hold out in the hope of unearthing a monster card which will secure you the jackpot. Limping is a totally acceptable strategy in these sort of situations because you can sustain the limping long enough to win a good hand.
Please note though that a lot of flops are going to go right past you and so if you go in too cheap, you will be cutting the odds of you recouping your losses. Position is king in poker and so it is a variable that should be exploited for full use. As your experience grows, so will your confidence as to how to use the position effectively.
Position is very significant in Hold'em, indeed it is no exaggeration that there has been entire games won purely on the strength (or lack thereof) of a decent hand. - 2361
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posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:05 AM
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