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Position is simply where you are sitting in
relation to the dealer's button. In hold'em and many other poker games,
your position at the table is a big factor. The strength of your
position comes from the fact that the betting goes in a clockwise
fashion. In a favorable position you get to see how many other players
react to their hands and whether they fold, bet, or call before you do.
The poker phrase, "Position is power" comes from this simple idea.
There are many names associated with position to identify where players
are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. Each particular position
has its own strengths or weaknesses.
- The small blind has the worst position
after the flop and must invest half a bet.
- The big blind invests an entire bet
and similarly has a poor position.
- The player under the gun has the worst
position pre flop and a junk position afterwards.
- The button has the best position
during any betting round.
If you aren't familiar with the above
terms (small blind, button, under the gun), visit our
glossary.
The importance of your position depends on many factors. For
example, in no limit hold'em, position is much more important than
in limit hold'em. It is always better to be in an late position
though, so it is important to identify what hands are generally
playable in all positions.
For example, lets say you're under the gun. You have Queen-Ten,
unsuited and decide to limp into the pot. The player to bet after
you raises, and everyone but you folds.. Now you're in a jam.
Chances are good that this player has a better hand than you. If
they have any ace, king, or pocket pair, they are statistically
better than you. You'd suspect that someone who raised has at least
a hand like that. Now you can either call again and go into the flop
as an underdog or you can fold and just give up a bet. What's worse
is that if you call, you will be acting before this player for the
rest of the hand. On the other hand, let's say you're on the button.
You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and everybody folds to you. One option
would be to fold and let the blinds fight it out. Another would be
the just call and see what happens on the flop. Many players here
would raise because you could steal the blinds and even if you
didn't, you'd act after them for the remainder of the hand. Raising
is only a viable option because of your favorable position.
Another notable factor is that position goes hand in hand with
knowing the players directly around you. For example, an aggressive,
blind-stealing player to the immediate right of a tight player
usually results in the tight player's blinds getting stolen. For a
discussion about the players to your left and right and how their
style of play is affected by position, go to our page on opponents
styles and position.
Being in late position with a good hand has major strengths over
being early with a good hand. Early position raisers are assumed to
have a good hand and it tends to scare players away. Early pre-flop
raises can force the other players to call two bets at once (or more
in the case of pot limit or no limit hold'em) when there is nearly
nothing in the pot worth fighting for. In late position, there may
be players who have already called one bet. Those players only have
to call one bet (in limit) with a little something already in the
pot. So players in late position with a good hand have the ability
to manipulate the pot size, which will make future bets easier to
call in the upcoming betting rounds.
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