Position in Poker
Friday, June 19th, 2009 | Beginner Lesson
Playing poker with position is the most profitable way to play winning poker, lets learn position to give yourself a better understanding of what it is and how to use it.
There are many poker plays that can be used at the tables, those are talked about below and will have other lessons branching off to better illustrate those moves.
What is Position
Having position is being the player to act last at the end of a betting round. Position allows you to set traps and force players to make tough decisions. It also gives you the most opportunities to draw to big pots that you can control.
Game Play How it Starts
After the two forced bets (the blinds) put in their chips the dealer deals 2 cards down to the players at the table, the first person to act on the pre flop (before the 3 community cards) is known as Under-the-Gun (UTG for short). All play follows clockwise after their play.
Under the Gun
Now because UTG is first to act they have no information regarding the other players hands at the table. Playing weaker hands from this position is a long term losing money play. Simply because of the action that follows after, where players Raise and Re-Raise and your looking down at a marginal hand out of position on the flop (the 3 community cards).
Early Position
Playing from early position is just as hard to make gains as playing from under the gun, with out any knowledge of other players hands you are always going to be forced to make tough decisions on the flop. That also goes with when you DO flop a big hand, with being one of the first players to act you actions tell other players about your hand.
Middle Position
Here is where things get interesting to play hands, weak or strong. Players can start to use information from the early position players and judge the strength of how to play. Many times you will have weak suited or low connector hand that gives you pot odds to call, also makes for a devolping pot with premium hold cards.
Late Position
Your last to act on this round and all other betting rounds when playing the flop/turn/river. Middle to Late position you can do some re-raising with marginal hands to try and steal against early callers or bets. You can even try to buy the button to give yourself THE last to act on betting rounds.
Blinds Position
When it is pre-flop the blinds are last to act, but on all other rounds with the community cards they are the first to act. Here players often will defend the blinds or play the odds, bluffing from the blinds is not uncommon but can in the long run lose money. Your expected value decreases, or better to term; your expected value increases with position, and the blinds are always out of position.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Considering the Payout Structure
- Hole Cards in a Race HU
- Stud Poker How to
- My 5 Tips to Better Poker
- When Good Poker Runs Bad
2 Comments to Position in Poker
I love that you posted this lesson.
I have such a hard time learning position, and i’m not sure why because as I read it here it seems so easy. Everything you said makes complete sense.
I especially like the image you put up, it always helps to have something visual to refer to.
I have learned that UTG is a weak position to play from, but never thought to use my middle or late position status to help me push weaker hands out.
2 thumbs up for this entry, very helpful. 
twinsieJune 19, 2009
I love looking at the pictures… videos when you do them too.. I learned something new today.. psst’ dont tell anyone but I thought UTG ( under the gun) was the player betting last with the littlest chip stack..who knew?? lol.. I knew about the postions.and use them to my advantage and satifaction. “hey”, “hey”, “hey” , thats what I say…. ty for this poker post…
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June 19, 2009