HOMEPAGE   >> Free Demo
  >> How it looks
  >> How it works
  >> more...

ONLINE POKER  >> Basic strategy
 >> Poker reviews

STRATEGY  >> General strategy
 >> Texas Holdem
 >> Omaha
 >> 7 Stud
 >> Betting rounds
 >> Tournaments
 >> First 2 cards
 >> more...

The Bluff   >> Bluffing
  >> Higher Limits
  >> Semi bluffing

CONTACT   German poker
  Poker auf deutsch
  French poker
  Poker en ligne
  Gluecksspiele
  Poker & Casino
  Casino en ligne
  Poker online
  Online Poker

Table Position in Hold ‘em

Texas Hold ‘em is a game of position.  Most players understand this to some degree.  Non-experts, however, generally do not comprehend the full ramifications of position and tend to underestimate just how important it is.  Position plays an important, but different, role in both limit and no limit poker.  It is important to understand these differences if you are to apply your understanding of position properly.

There are some characteristics that apply to both Limit and No Limit Hold ‘em.  For instance, pre-flop you can play many more hands in position.  There are a number of reasons for this.  Poker is a war of information, and the more information you have, the more likely you are to make correct decisions.  The number of players who have acted in front of you, and the fewer number of players behind you, eliminates many of the variables that plague an early position player.  If many players limp in, then there are a number of drawing type hands that can be played profitably.  If only one player limps in then a late position player can raise in an attempt to isolate them, playing the hand heads-up and in position post-flop.

Post-flop the advantage of position is even more important.  You will have the knowledge of what your opponent(s) have done and this information is vital.  There will be times when you will be surprised with a check-raise, but more often than not this advantage will work in your favor.  A check will often mean weakness, and may expose an opponent to a timely bluff.  If a player is known to check-raise a lot, then you will have the option to simply check behind and take a free card.  This option is not available to you when out of position and holding a weak hand, which creates a difficult decision where the proper course of action is often not clear.

Limit Hold’em

When playing limit hold ‘em the best hand will usually win the pot.  Even though position will not enable you to win many pots that you are not entitled too you should not assume that it is unimportant.  Position will allow you to save bets when you are behind and earn extra bets when you are ahead.  While you always have to be aware of the possibility of being check-raised, you can value bet (a bet where the decision between betting and checking is close) many more marginal hands when your opponent has checked to you.  You also will not have to face the tricky decision of whether or not to check-raise yourself.  If you decide to check-raise and your opponent checks behind you then you have not only cost yourself a bet but you  have also given your opponent a free card that may outdraw you and cost you the pot.  If you bet when a check-raise would have been successful then you have cost yourself a bet.  This will not happen when in position since you can either raise or bet depending on your opponents action.

Isolation is an extremely important concept in Limit Hold ‘em and you can not isolate someone if you do not have position on them.  What isolation refers to is when you raise or re-raise in an attempt to play the hand against only one opponent.  There are a number of situations where isolation can be used effectively.   When a player opens with a raise from middle position you should usually re-raise if you have a medium pocket pair like 88,99,or TT.  Not only are you likely to have the best hand but you have a hand that plays much better against only one other opponent.   As long as the player raising is loose enough that it is unlikely he has a large pocket pair, and the players behind you are tight enough that you have a reasonable chance of forcing them out, this play is worth considering with even small pairs on occasion.  This is also a viable option with hands like AQ or even AJ or AT against loose later position raisers.  As games get short-handed isolation becomes even more important and an even larger part of correct strategy.  You need position to make these isolation plays, so it is yet another advantage of acting last pre-flop.

Another important aspect of position in limit play is when you have a drawing hand.  Hands like straight or flush draws are much easier, and often less expensive, when played in position.  You can often raise on the flop betting round, and then if you miss on the turn, you have the option to either continue with your bluff, or to check and take a free card.  If you make your hand then you can continue betting, having earned yourself an extra small bet for your flop raise.  This is one reason why hands like suited connectors are usually only playable in position.

Some pre-flop drawing hands, however, do not rely on position as heavily to be profitable.  Small pairs, for instance, are not difficult to play from out of position.  If you do not flop a set (three of kind) then you will generally fold.  If you are fortunate enough to flop a set then you will probably make more if you are in position but the hand is still easy to play from out of position.

One last note on pre-flop, late position play, is that you should generally either raise or fold when everyone before you folds.  The chance of winning the blinds, coupled with the chance of either making the best hand, or winning with a bet on the flop, make this a far superior play.  Hands that have high card strength are stronger in these situations where the pot is likely to be heads up.  Hands like KT off suit, which play very poorly in pots with many players, fair well in these short handed situations.  Suited connectors go down in value since they depend on the implied odds that are characteristic of multi-way pots (although they still may be playable if the blinds are especially tight).  If you are planning on playing the hand, there is almost never a reason to limp in if it is folded to you in late position.

Another advantage to being last to act post-flop, is that you will often have opportunities to raise on the turn with the intention of simply checking behind on the river if you do not improve.  This is called a free showdown raise and is usually used when you think you may have the best hand, but still have a way to improve if you do not.  Examples of this would be one pair hands that pick up a flush draw on the turn.  This play can back fire if your opponent re-raises, but when you pick up additional outs on the turn it is worth considering.  If you improve then you can bet on the river for additional value, and if you miss you can simply check the hand down and see if it is good.  This allows you to get full value when your hand is best, along with the chance to get extra value if you improve, while risking the same two bets as you would have to pay anyways if you simply called your opponent down, as he is likely to bet again on the river.

Where you sit in a Limit Hold ‘em game can give you an advantage over the other players.  If you have the option it is best to sit to the left of loose aggressive player (LAG).  It is important to know what these dangerous opponents are going to do before you act.  If the LAG also plays badly you will be able to re-raise him in an effort to isolate him and play a better hand, heads up, and with position on an inferior player.  You also would prefer to have position on the more skillful foes that you will face.  These opponents will understand position and use it against you.  It is no fun to be regularly isolated and you will have to play much tighter if a skilled opponent has position on you and is regularly isolating you.   It is also beneficial to have tight and passive players (TAP) on your left as they will generally not interfere with your strategy, and will often give up their blinds without a fight.  You will often not have any options as far as where you sit. But if you can create a situation where you have who you want on your left and your right it can be a very good situation.

When playing Limit Hold ‘em you may occasionally win a pot when you do not have the best hand due to being in position.  The real advantage however, is in the bets you will save with the worst hand, or the extra bets you may win when you have the best hand.  Being in position gives you flexibility in the play of your hand.  It opens up possibilities for free cards that are not available to out of position players.  It allows you to isolate weak players pre-flop by raising.  If you are cautious about entering pots from early position with weak hands and always consider your position before acting, then you should find your results improving and your hands being easier to play.

No Limit Hold’em

While understanding position is crucial to successful limit play, its effect is magnified even further in a No Limit setting.  While the best hand usually will win in a limit game, this is not necessarily true in a no limit game.  Having position on your opponent will open up the possibility for quite a few bluffs when your opponent shows weakness by checking.  There is always the risk of a check raise but there is never a fool proof play in poker, and more often than not a check will represent genuine weakness.

When playing No Limit Hold ‘em you must be very cautious about building a drawing hand out of position.  Hands like straight or flush draws are much easier to play in position, even more so than at limit play.  When you are out of position with a draw it is easy for your opponent to charge you the maximum, often not allowing you to continue.  If you check and call on the flop betting round and then check again on the turn an astute opponent is likely to deduce that you have a draw and make a bet that you can not profitably call.   This is always a possibility when you are in position as well, but you will have the option to take free cards, or semi-bluff depending on the situation.  You do not have the options when out of position.  You generally will not raise, with the intention of taking a free card in no limit play, because the downside is much greater than in limit play.  In limit if your opponent re-raises it is not a catastrophe and has only cost you an extra bet.  In no limit though, this raise will often force you to fold a hand that could have won a large pot.  It very well may be correct to raise, and you cannot play crippled with fear of a re-raise, but your intention with the raise should be to win the pot rather than to take a free card.  If your semi-bluff fails however, you may want to re-evaluate on the turn and take a free card after all.

Small pairs are often very profitable hands in No Limit Hold ‘em.   Like in limit play, small pairs are not as dependant on position as other drawing hands pre-flop.  It is always preferable to be in position, and a set will make more in position, but these sort of hands that you will either hit on the flop or not can often be played out of position.  There will not be the delicate situations that may face a straight draw where there is always the chance of facing a bet that you will have to fold too.  After the flop with a small pair you will generally be prepared to either fold or go to war.

When you are fortunate enough to flop a hand strong enough to go to war with you need to consider your position before choosing a course of action.  You will usually not want to slow-play unless you have position on your opponent(s).  When you out of position you will have to at some point check-raise, and this sort of power play is likely to tip off even the densest of opponents that you have a strong hand.  Not only that, but there is no guarantees that your opponent will bet on the turn or river and you may miss out on a lot of value when he checks behind you.  Unless the stack sizes are small enough that a check-raise will leave you all in without over betting the pot then you are generally better off to lead with even your strong hands when out of position.  If you happen to be in position you have many more options with your strong hands.  Most often it is still correct to straightforwardly raise in the hopes that your opponent has enough to play with you.  This will often times be just as deceptive as some slow plays and it has the added benefit of not allowing a card that may scare your opponent to come on the turn.  Players are generally much more likely to play a big pot with a hand like top pair with an Ace kicker on the flop then on the turn or the river.  There will be occasions however, when you will want to just call an opponents bet, or check after he checks, when you act behind him.  You usually want to be in a heads up scenario when you make this play.  Unlike when you are out of position, you will not have to worry about the turn or the river getting checked through if you are last to act.  You can make sure that every street gets bet.  This provides you with a great deal of flexibility in the play of a hand and can help ensure that you get paid off with these rare, monster hands.

If you have more than one option of seats when entering a game, or have the choice to move seats you should take care in selecting the one that is most profitable.  The characteristics of the game, and the players that populate it, will guide you in this decision.  It is generally advisable to be to the left of very loose and weak players.  You will be able to raise or re-raise them to isolate them.  When this is successful you will be able to play a pot heads up with a weak player, position, and a usually a superior hand.  Loose but aggressive (LAG) players however are more problematic.  If you can succeed in isolating them than it is still generally best to sit to their left.  If however most pots are played multi-way and the other players are likely to try to trap the LAG then, contrary to what most people think, it may be better to sit on his right.  When you are on his right you will have position on the entire field and they will be forced to act in between you and the loose aggressive player.  If you are on his left you may face some delicate situations when the LAG bets and you have to act before everyone else.  You often will have a hand that stacks up quite well against the LAG’s range of hands but that will be in a lot of trouble if someone behind you raises.  You do not want to get trapped along with the LAG when someone sandbags a strong hand.  If however you are on the LAG’s right then after the he bets everyone else will have to act before you do.  You not only will be able to play weaker hands when everyone else folds to the LAG’s bet but you will also be able to check your monster hands and trap other players between you and the LAG.  If another player takes strong action then you will be able to fold your marginal hands and not lose any additional chips.  If you think about the different scenarios that may arise, and if you pay attention to the way the people at your table are playing, then you may be able to increase your wins by sitting in the right seats relative to your opponents.

Conclusion

Whether you play Limit or No Limit Hold ‘em, position is one of the most important considerations in the play of a hand.  The considerations are however, different depending on the game.  While position in limit play will often enable you to win or save a few bets position in no limit may allow you to steal the entire pot or win your opponents entire stack.  This makes position of even greater importance in a no limit setting.  Be very cautious with hands that are likely to develop into weak one pair hands or build nothing more than a draw on the flop.  Pay attention to the table composition and seat yourself according to who you would like to have position on and what seat should provide the best possibilities.  Just because position is more important in a no limit game do not assume that it is not vitally important in limit play.  Entering pots with weak hands up front is a recipe for disaster in any poker game.  When you are in late position pay attention to how many players have already entered the pot and the ramifications that will have on your hand.  With many players in the pot small pairs and suited connectors go up in value and hands that are likely to build one pair (like Kto) go down in value.  If it is folded to you then hands that have high card strength go up in value since the pot stands to be played short handed or heads up.  If it is folded to you in late position then you should almost always either raise or fold.

Many players think they understand position, but often they have a very limited understanding of the complexities and impact position has on the play of hands.  Good players understand position and use it to their advantage.  They may be very tight up front but are looser and more aggressive in late position.  If you spend time away from the table thinking about the things laid out in this article about position then you should have a leg up on your opponents.  If you routinely find yourself with position on your opponents they will face many more difficult decisions than you.  Keep these things in mind and you should find yourself in less sticky situations, which should translate into less mistakes which in turn should mean more profit.

Enough of theory? Why dont you take some time to read our online poker section, where we feature the majority of the online pokerooms. We play there, test them and rate them - you can also read reviews and comments of other players and visitors.

Alternatively browse through our other poker articles listed on the site:

Poker Position - Poker Position at the table

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

or see the full list of the articles.