“position, Position, Position” The Winning Strategy For Every Poker Player

Just like in the real estate three important factors of the property are “Location, Location and Location” in Texas Holdem and many other poker games it is “Position, Position and Position”. Position in poker is power and the amount of power you have will define the poker strategy you should adopt. Most players have heard about the importance of adjusting the game style, actions and the starting playable hands according to their position throughout the game, however a lot of them still fail to make such adjustments when it comes to practice.

In poker games such as Texas Holdem and Omaha player’s position is fixed in the game and everyone places their bets in turn going clockwise from the button. Generally speaking the later your position the better, the benefits of the late position are obvious. It does not matter if you play poker online or in live poker events, when you are the last one to act you can see your opponents actions, you know the size of the pot and can make an informed decision on whether to fold, call or raise. Logically the early position is worst position, generally speaking, as you have very little or no information of your opponents forthcoming bets and you have to make your decision blindly. So the cards that would be perfectly fine to play in the late position become unplayable and have to be folded if you are the first one to act.

Let’s say you have 10d and 8h in Texas Holdem and you are on the button. The board shows 7h, 2s,6h, Ac, 9d. You know that you have the best hand and you also suspect that the other player is holding at least a good pair maybe a set. If you were to act first would he call your bet? But since you are in the late position you do not need to worry about this and let him make up his mind and place another bet into the pot. A starting hand of unsuited 10 and 8 in the early position makes it unplayable and has to be folded right away.

The advantages of the late position are clear. Being the late position with a mediocre hand also gives you a safe call, where there is no threat of a raise. Players in earlier positions do not have such comfort and face a big tactical decision whether to fold the hand or bet and face the raise then fold or pay more money into the pot later. When you have a good hand in the early position you might want to try a check–raise but if it does not work and all the players behind you check, you would have cost yourself money by not getting the pot bigger and you just gave away a free card to your opponents. Player at the last position has only one risk to consider such as being check-raised.

However there are some situations where being the first to act can be an advantage. Although, as mentioned earlier, check-raising can be a risky tactical option, if you want to drive other players away from the pot and force them to fold raising in early position is a very powerful move, which makes everyone at the table to take notice and revaluate their hands.
It is very important to adjust your play according to your position. While pocket fives might be a perfectly good starting hand in the late position it is best to fold it if you are to act early. Let’s say you have pocket fives and are the last to act. If an earlier player raises and he gets some calls the best course of action would be to bet. However in the same situation when you have a raise from the right it is advisable to fold that pair. If you play correctly you should be playing very few hands from the early position and throwing a lot of cards away. However by being selective you will save yourself a lot of money.

To be successful in poker you need to observe your opponents and whether you play poker online or in a casino, it is always a good idea to watch the table for a while before you join in to become familiar with types of players at the table. To get the best seat and optimise your winnings you would be better if players on your left are timid, conservative. Such players are more likely to call and would rather fold if you raise and otherwise are fairly predictable. Unpredictable, tough, aggressive players are best to keep on your right. You will be in much better position to control such players and use them to your advantage winning the money and forcing them to make mistakes.

If you play poker in online poker rooms you will have an opportunity to take notes on the opponents and evaluate their style in the software. These notes can be some most valuable tool to use the table and choose your seat accordingly to maximise your chances of winning. Of course when you play in online poker tournaments you can not choose your seat and will be placed at the table by the software, however knowing your opponents game style and using it to your advantage correctly in your position will help you make correct decisions, maximize your winnings and minimize the losses.

By: Unleashed Poker

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