Poker Strategies: Playing Position I & II

Every professional endeavor has it own mantra. In business there's K.I.S.S. In real estate, it's location, location, location. In poker, it's position, position, position.

Position impacts each and every decision you make as a poker player.

Winning poker is about much more than what your cards are. Even what your opponents cards might be. Winning poker is all about situations and position.

We've all been told that the value of starting hands goes way up as you get short handed. This is a function of odds and percentages. The fewer hands contesting the pot, the better the odds that your hand will/may be good. For example: pocket 7's are much stronger 4-handed than they would be with a full table. What many beginning poker players don't fully appreciate is the fact that position plays much the same role.

Starting hand values will vary quite a bit well before you get the chance to be short handed at the final table. This is where position comes in. Hands become more valuable (playable) later in position. We'll take the earlier example of pocket 7's. In very early position (UTG), pocket 7's may be a hand you would want to stay away from. If you open the pot for a raise, as is standard, what do you do if you get re-raised by a later acting player? He's putting you in a tough spot because he has the advantage of having position over you.

He's able to use the information he gets by seeing your action to help him make his decision. It is a huge advantage. In this situation, you'd probably have to fold. There are 2 main reasons: 1) Unless he's a total maniac, he's not going to raise your bet unless he holds premium cards, either a strong Ace (AK,AQ) or a good pocket pair, and 2) even if you are a slight favorite pre-flop it's extremely likely that one or more overcards are going to come out on the flop, making it very tough for you to bet, and he'll still have position over you.

Now, let's take our measley pair of 7's and move over to the button. If we get a few limpers in the pot before us, we can usually assume that no one has a good Ace. A pot-sized raise could very well win us the pot right here. If we get called, we can be fairly certain we are slight favorites in a coin flip situation.

The later we have to act, and the fewer players in the hand, the more power our hand assumes (remember the example of playing short-handed). Being in position gives our hand more potential and gives us more options, being out of position seriously limits both.

Part II

Playing position applies to every form of poker, whether it's No-Limit/Limit, Holdem, Omaha, Stud, or Razz. Once you understand the strengths of the various starting hands you need to factor in the strength/weakness of your positon at the table. Hands that are almost an automatic raise/re-raise in late position, may be only worth a call in mid position, if they are playable at all, and mandatory folds early.

In general, if you are opening the pot (first to act) you will need to have a stronger hand the earlier your position in relation to the button. If you are later in position, but still first to act, you can lower your starting hand requirements and increase your aggression. Take our example of pocket 7's from Part I. You may want to consider folding if first to act in early position due to the unknown potential of the hands still to act. If action is folded around to you and you are in late position or on the button, a raise is definitely in order. There are fewer people who could compete with you for the pot, making it more likely that you will have the best hand going in if you are called. Same hand, different position.

Conversely, you can also use your opponent's position at the table to your advantage. His actions in different positions can help you determine what hands he could be holding. This will, in turn, aid you in making your decision later.

If he is raising in early position, you need to give him credit for a decent hand and judge your hand's strength accordingly. Similarly, if he is calling or re-raising your bet/raise, you need to give him credit for having a hand. Players usually require a stronger hand to call or re-raise somebody else's action. You don't want to start calling with trash hands or re-raising with ATC (any two cards) just because you have position. Having someone already in the pot changes the dynamics of the game and adds another variable for you to consider.

Practice and experience will make taking position into account easier as you go along. After all, position is only one of the many variables you will need to take into consideration while you are at the table.