Online Poker Position
Position is simply where you are sitting in relation to the dealer's button, your position at the table is a big factor. The strength of your position comes from the fact that the betting goes in a clockwise fashion. In a favourable position you get to see how many other players react to their hands and whether they fold, bet, or call before you do.
There are many names associated with position to identify where players are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. Each particular position has its own strengths or weaknesses.
- The player to the left of the dealer is not only the small blind, but must act first after the flop.
- The player to the left of the small blind is the big blind. He or she is already obligated to the game and is in another early position after the flop.
- The player to the left of the big blind is "under the gun". This player is the first to act preflop and is considered to be in the worst position, even though they do not act first in any other betting round (the blinds would) because they would have to invest an entire bet to get into the action.
- The player with the dealer's button is the last to act after the flop and has the most advantageous position. They are called "the dealer", "on the button", or just "the button".
- The player to the right of the button is called "the cutoff", which comes from the fact that this position is one of the best for blind-stealing at a full nine-handed or ten-handed table. This player often cuts off the dealer by betting before they have a chance to bet.
- Players in all positions are referred to as being in early, middle, or late position. Players in an early position are the first ones to act in a betting round (like the player under the gun) and late position players (like the cutoff and the button) are some of the last to act.
Online Poker Playing Position
The importance of your position varies on many factors. For example, in no limit holdem position is much more important than in limit holdem. It is always better to be in an late position though, so it is important to identify what hands are generally playable in all positions. (chart
Deciding which hands to play
Position is a key concept when playing poker and is particularly important when playing Pot-Limit or No-Limit. When you are sitting in early position you will be acting early in the hand and, as such, will not have as much information as the players acting in later position. Occasionally, you will call with a hand when acting early only to see the pot raised and re-raised behind you. Consequently, you might be forced to fold a hand you already invested money with. If you are acting late, you know what pot-odds you are getting on the hand and also have the advantage of acting late in upcoming betting rounds. This means that you can play more hands when sitting in late position than in early position. When deciding what hands to play, position is always a factor that you have to consider. For example, when playing Hold'em you should play extremely tight under the gun (first to act pre-flop) and add hands as your position improves.
Hands to play strategy chart...
An example
Lets say you're under the gun. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and decide to limp into the pot. The player to bet after you raises, and everyone but you folds.. Now you're in a jam. Chances are good that this player has a better hand than you. If they have any ace, king, or pocket pair, they are statistically better than you. You'd suspect that someone who raised has at least a hand like that. Now you can either call again and go into the flop as an underdog or you can fold and just give up a bet. What's worse is that if you call, you will be acting before this player for the rest of the hand. On the other hand, let's say you're on the button. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and everybody folds to you. One option would be to fold and let the blinds fight it out. Another would be the just call and see what happens on the flop. Many players here would raise because you could steal the blinds and even if you didn't, you'd act after them for the remainder of the hand. Raising is only a viable option because of your favorable position.
Being in late position with a good hand has major strengths over being early with a good hand. Early position raisers are assumed to have a good hand and it tends to scare players away. Players in late position with a good hand have the ability to manipulate the pot size by raising and causing players that have already called the blinds to put more money in the pot.
Bluffing
Sitting in late position will provide you with more bluffing opportunities. For example, if all players check in front, you have the option of betting or seeing the next card for free. Late position also offers more opportunities to semi-bluff. This means betting or raising with hands that may not necessarily be the best but have plenty of outs to improve to the best hand. If everybody has folded and you are sitting in late position, you can raise with hands that you would never call with from an early position because you have a chance of winning the blinds and antes uncontested.
Tight or loose game
If the game is very loose and there is not much pre-flop raising, position does not have as much influence as in a tight/aggressive game. This is due to the fact that you can now play drawing hands from an early position and remain relatively certain that you will get the correct odds and the pot will not be raised. If the game is tight/aggressive, you will have to play very tight from an early position.
An example
Lets take an example from Hold'em when having the worst position can cost you the pot. You hold the Ah-5h and your opponent, who has the better position, holds the 7c-8c. You are heads-up and the flop is Kh-9d-6h. You bet as a semi-bluff with your flush draw and overcard to the board. Your opponent calls with the open-ended straight draw. The turn is the Js, which is of no use to both players. You bet again in the hopes that your opponent will fold a pair of Nines or Sixes. Your opponent calls again and the river is the 2c. You check and your opponent bets. There is no possibility that you are going to call that bet with just Ace-high, so you are forced to fold the best hand. Therefore, you just lost a pot because you had a worse position than your opponent.
Loose or tight players
Ideally you want to have the loose/passive players to your right and the tight/aggressive players to your left. The loose players will call with too many hands and provide you with better pot odds since you act behind them and have position on them. Essentially, this position gives you a greater opportunity to capitalize on their mistakes. Having the tighter players to your left means that you have a chance of stealing their blinds and of winning more pots by betting into them with bluffs. |
