Poker Position at the Table

A few years ago I wrote an article about this subject and now that I am looking back on it I am surprised at how badly I missed the real advantages of being in a good position at the table. I brought up the points about acting last and thus having all of the information and being in the best position to bluff, but now that I have a few more years of experience under my belt I have found it is even more than that. You can read all of my hundreds of articles around the internet, and you can read all the books available, but nothing is going to teach you as much about poker as personal experience. Here is one of the lessons I have learned about position from that experience.

First of all, many players understand the power of being one of the last to act. Some players will raise any time they are one of the last three to act, have a half decent hand (such as 9/10), and have seen no raises before them. When a player acts powerful prior to the flop it is often easy to steal the blinds. Better yet, there is even more easy money to be made if one or two people call you and you raise again after the flop, even when you have nothing. Learning to do this is a profitable lesson. I would say at least half of the players you see at a decent table will use this technique.

The trick to Hold’em is not only knowing these moves, but also watching your opponents and learning their strategy. If you watch closely you can identify the players who do this. When you find them you can use their aggressiveness to your advantage. Chances are the player does not have a great hand every time, but will pretend they do. This will allow you to often slow play your good hands and depend on them to throw money into the pot, even when you are in a bad position. Let them raise before the flop. Let them raise again after the flop. This second raise is the time to pounce, even when you yourself have nothing. Many times a raise equal to the pot will convince these players to give up their ruse and allow you to steal their money.

Yes, it is true, sometimes they will have a hand, but no more often than normal. They are most likely depending on their show of power to take the pot. Many players learn the technique, but never learn how to limit its use. Are you watching poker on TV right now? The pros use this all the time. Watch tight players such as Dan Harrington. He bides his time until he finds a pot worth bluffing at. You won’t see him try to take a pot with no money in it, but if the situation I explained above shows up, Dan will be all over it. Dan can get away with this because he has a reputation of playing smart and tight. Nobody is going to believe your bluff when you use it all the time. Only steal the pot when it is worth stealing.

For this to work you also have to establish your own reputation. Do not use this technique all the time. Do not always bet after the flop when you have nothing and the other opponents still in the hand are tight players. Take the free card you get for acting last and see if it improves your hand. After all, the other players are watching your strategy as well.

Poker Columnist
Gary Steele
www.poker-programm.com

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Poker Programs - Various helpful poker programs

Sit and Go Tourneys - The ides of Sit and Go Tourneys

FM Ratio - Folding Money or Free Money ratio

Monetary requirement - Bankroll

Hold'em Starting Hands - Evaluation of the Hold'em Starting Hands

Computer Analysis - Computer analysis of the hands

The Bonus Factor - The added bonus factor and its consequences

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