Poker and the Value of Position
Position refers to the order in which you act in a poker game. If you are first to act, you are considered to be in "first position". Since the action in a poker game moves clockwise (towards the left), the term "having position" refers to being on the left of someone because you get to act after they have. In no limit hold’em, having position also refers to being last to act on the flop, turn or river. So while the blind positions might be last to act before the flop, they will be the first to act on the flop, and subsequent betting rounds. The player who is closest to the right of the button will be last to act and have position on the flop and subsequent streets.
Why is having Position Important?
The main benefit of having position is being able to see how everyone else is going to act first and then making your decision as to the best play. If it checks to you, you can bet and often win the pot. If you have middle pair or top pair with a weak kicker and there is lots of betting action before it is your turn, you can confidently fold your hand without risking any chips.
Combining Position with Aggression
Having position and using it with aggressive play is a deadly force, especially in no limit hold’em. By having position, you have a wide variety of plays to choose from. Examples include:
- Raising limpers when you sense weakness.
- Calling raises in position pre-flop, to take it down with aggression on the flop.
- Re-raising from late position pre-flop.
- Betting or raising in position on the flop.
Playing Out of Position
There are both pros and cons to being one of the first players to act in a hand. The obvious con is that you won’t have any information as to how strong each of the remaining players hands are. You will either have to check and evaluate the action or you will have to bet out to see where you stand. With so many aggressive poker players these days, it makes it tough to know how strong your hand might be.
However this doesn’t mean it’s always bad to play out of position. It just depends on who you are playing. For example, if you are playing against one or two opponents who only bet when they have a good hand, you can bluff from out of position because they will fold often enough to make that play profitable over the long run.
Hand Example – The Benefit of Acting Last
- No Limit Hold’em Tournament.
- Blinds of 10/20.
- All players have around the starting stack of 1500.
Pre-flop
Two middle position players limp in front of you and you are on the button with A
T, which is certainly playable in this position. If the blinds were higher, there is a case for raising since you have position, but in this example you decide to just call and evaluate the flop. You call, the small blind completes and the big blind checks. There are five players in the hand.
The Flop
The flop is 8
9
T and there is 100 in the pot. The small blind checks and the big blind bets 100. The next player calls and the next player raises to 400:
Figure 1
Because you have position in the hand, you were able to see how everyone else acted first and you can easily fold this hand. Yes, I know you have top pair with the best kicker. But you have to think about what they have before you think about what you have. This type of flop and this much action means there are too many hand combinations that have you beat. There are several two pair combinations, sets or even the possibility someone flopped a straight. Even if you thought your Ace would make you two pair, the Ace of hearts would make someone else a flush. Because you are in position, this is a clear fold and you lost the least amount of chips possible. If you were first to act, you might have lost chips by betting to find out where you stand.
The above hand example clearly demonstrates the value of "having position" in poker. Position is a key consideration in poker and although this beginner lesson has been brief, it has hopefully introduced you to the power behind this fundamental concept of poker. As you progress through the course you will learn much more about the importance of position and how important it’ll be in becoming a winning poker player.
Next Lesson: Beginners Level » Module 3 » Lesson 3 » An Introduction to Pot Odds
