One of the most crucial poker principles is position, which many novice players misunderstand. Position in poker games is the sequence in which players are permitted to act.
Acting first is “out of position,” whereas acting last puts a player “in position.” Being In Position gives the player more information and pot management, which we will discuss further.
What are the Starting Positions in Poker?
Each seat at the poker table is assigned a specific name wherein players can quickly recognize the hands they should be playing and how they could anticipate their opponents.
- Early position
- Middle position
- Late position
- The blinds
Early Position
Under the gun is the seat in an early position designated as the first to act. The phrase “Under The Gun” (UTG) refers to being “forced to act,” as in “being held at gunpoint.”
You can compare this to the first player at the table who is under pressure to decide how to play the newly dealt hand.
Eight players are waiting to act after UTG in a full ring table with nine overall players. There is a good chance someone else at the table will emerge with a strong hand, making the first position challenging.
Going clockwise, the next player to act is “under the gun plus one” or UTG+1. Early position poker strategy groups these two situations together since they play similarly.
If you are the first player, you must play a tighter opening range since turning a profit with inferior cards will be challenging.
Middle Position
The middle position is the next. You can open a few combos in these positions compared to the first two players since you are less likely to come up against a strong hand and be forced to play out of position post-flop.
The player following the middle position is MP+1. They can play a bit looser with their starting poker hands for the same reason as the middle position but have to be still cautious, for there are a few more players left to act on preflop.
Late Position
On the entire table, a late position is the most profitable. It represents the seats hijack, cutoff, and button. You have a greater chance of scoring with the cutoff and button and having the most excellent post-flop position.
Hijack on the late position (in a full ring game of Texas Holdem or Omaha) is the seat immediately right the cutoff and two seats right of the button. Meanwhile, the cutoff is at the right of the button, and the button is the last to act.
Being in the button position gives you the best place to see what other players have and decide what to do, whether to bet, call, raise, or fold.
The Blinds
Players in the blind must contribute a little “fee” into the pot before seeing their cards, thus the name. In addition, rather than initiating raises when playing from the blinds, you will primarily respond to other players’ raises rather than initiating raises when playing from the blinds.
There are two kinds of players here:
- The player immediately clockwise from the dealer button is known as the small blind.
- The player two places clockwise from the dealer button is the big blind. A big blind, posted before the start of play, must be paid by this player.
The blinds, also known as forced bets, encourage players to engage in competitive play right away in each hand. There wouldn’t be much action if there were no poker chips in the opening pot to compete for, and the game would get monotonous while everyone waited for strong cards.
Some Tips on How to Use Table Strategy When Playing
- Knowing that you will earn the most from weak players, try to sit to their immediate left. It will guarantee that you have a positional edge over them for most hands, both preflop and post-flop.
- It’s crucial to grasp how table position impacts tactics when holding a draw. When you are out of position, draws are less profitable; thus, you should consider this when calculating pot odds and implied odds because you might be forced to fold before you see the remaining cards.
- If you have a hand like the second or bottom pair and are the last to move, you might typically think about calling a single continuation bet to reevaluate on the turn. However, if a bet followed by two calls came from tight players, use this information to make a safe fold. If you are the first to act, you are placed in an undesirable spot where you guess what other players will do.
Conclusion
Any circumstance that puts you “in position” over other players provides you a significant advantage. When you find yourself in a position to outplay your opponent, you should capitalize on this by acting more aggressively with your hands.
Playing out of position can be advantageous too. You can check-raise and employ that action as a strong post-flop play.
Additionally, situations where you act first allow you to prevent other players from acting, such as in a pot with multiple players where an early position bet or raise might force other players to fold.
The positioning of the chairs at a table might be crucial for poker positioning. But you can still use your position to your advantage by practicing your strategies. Join GGPoker, the world’s largest poker room, to see how you can use your position at the table to help you improve your game. Sign up at GGPoker today!
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