poker school
lesson six: position, position, position
So last class we finished up talking about strategies on when and when not to bet on the river. That concluded the series of betting strategies for each round of play in Hold'em. Now, we are going to proceed with different strategies in the game. Position is a very important element that sometimes gets overlooked.
A player's position at the table in relation to the dealer is an important strategic factor in Hold'em. Early position in Texas Hold'em, is the three players to the left of the big blind, and late position are the two players to the right of the blinds. By deduction, that makes everyone in between in middle position.
If you are in early position you are going to be one of the first players to act. Therefore, you have to be much more selective about your starting hands since you don't know what the players behind you are going to do. A player in early position who calls or bets on a weak hand may find themselves faced with a raise by a player behind them which will make it more expensive to continue playing the hand. However, if the player who decided to raise does indeed have a strong hand, that player in early position is likely to be beaten and has wasted the previous bet. Also, a player in early position with a strong hand will find it harder to increase the pot by raising, unless other players feel strong enough about their hands to raise after him.
In late position, since you are one of the last players to act you have had the luxury of watching what most of the other players are going to do, making your decision an easier one. A player in late position with a strong hand has more of an opportunity to increase the pot size by betting or raising. You might decide to call a bet from this position because there is less likelihood you are going to be raised with only 2 or 3 players to act behind you. For this reason, the cards you play in early position are usually of much higher rank and quality than those you might play from the back end.
The dealer (also referred to as "on the button") has the strongest position at the table because that player has the advantage of being the last to play. The dealer has many more options to choose from than the other players based solely on the positioning at the table. For instance, the dealer may choose to bluff with an incredibly weak hand if there have been no bets or raises before them. Being the last person to act, especially in heads up situations, affords you a lot of power.
Always be aware of what position you are in and take it into consideration when deciding, whether or not, to put the chips you've worked so hard to accumulate into the pot.
good luck and enjoy your experiences at the poker tables
