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Being in Position
Tikay mentioned on Sunday nights show about being in position and if you know how to use it your game will improve 25%.
Is this when your the big blind and can make a better decision knowing what everone has done.
I'm sure there is a lot more to this.
Can anyone explain?
Is this when your the big blind and can make a better decision knowing what everone has done.
I'm sure there is a lot more to this.
Can anyone explain?
Comments
I'm about to play a few Tourneys, & I need time to reply to you properly, as this is SO important, so I'll do so tomorrow, unless others reply in the interim.
It really is very important to understand, & use, Position to your advantage, so I hope you'll understand why I want to do the question justice.
By the bye, "Position" was THE most important of all the factors when I took up the game, but these days, I imagine at least half of all Players don't understand it's importance. Which is why they lose so much money at Poker.
Tomorrow, then, unless others reply before then.
GREAT question.
As stated above, the button is considered the best seat (or the seat to the right of it if the button folds pre-flop etc).
If all the chips go in pre-flop then position is immaterial (apart from the fact that if you go all-in pre-flop under-the-gun or another early position then there are more people to act after you who may call you).
Also, the early positions (SB and BB) can be advantageous at times when stacks are relatively small because it allows you to get the first aggressive move in after the flop. It's also known as "Irish position" as it means you get first chance to bluff! This is commonly known as "Stop and Go" - i.e. calling a pre-flop raise from the blinds with the intention of going all-in on the flop if it looks as though your opponent will have missed it.
1) If you are in early position say BB, you dont know if your Ace is good so you have to be very defensive here.
2) If you are in middle position again you dont know where you stand but can reasonably be sure of what the early position player has.
3) if you are in late position you now have all the bet info from the other players and can be quite sure of where you stand.
Provided there are not stack size issues here. Then it is very difficult for the BB to bet out strong for fear of being dominated. The middle position player would find it easier to bet out. The late position player would find it easy to bet out into an unopened pot here, confidant he is good.
A strong bet from late position in this scenario could make the early position player fold a dominating hand like A4 or A5.
Simple rules, it is easier to bet than to call a bet. It is easier to bet when you have the maximum information about where you stand in the hand.
Poker is a game about information. Listening to all the information given to you.Working out what is true and what is false, and betting or folding accordingly. In poker as in life the more information you have the better decisions you can make
Most of the time, if you have an extreme hand then position doesn't matter so much. You will usually raise with AA from any seat and fold 23 from any seat. But with just about every hand in between your position is probably more valuable than your cards, believe it or not.
Let's pick a marginal hand - king nine offsuit. Everyone has the same number of chips and a deep stack.
Under the gun (first to act) - what do you do? Call, fold or raise? Basically, you don't know what to do as you have no information! Do all the other players have rubbish? Do they all have big hands? With no information you're guessing so you really have to fold.
On the button - what do you do? Three scenarios:
1. If someone has raised before you, you may call or fold, but you can't re-raise. Probably fold.
2. If there has been a re-raise before you, you must fold.
3. If it is passed round to you, then you should raise!
So the same hand can be anything from a fold to a raise from the button, when you have information to base your decision on, but is a fold UTG.
See how you have so many more choices? And this is before the flop is even dealt.
Let's continue the hand to the flop.
You are UTG and raised with K9 (against my advice) and get called by the player on the button.
The flop comes Q94, what do you do?
You've hit your 9, so make a standard bet of about 2/3rds the pot. The guy on the button raises you a quarter of your stack. What do you do? Unless you're a maniac, you fold. You have no choice.
You hit your hand and lost a lot of chips. Did the villain hit his hand? You have no idea - his position won him the pot, not his cards!
You may think - "if I knew he was going to raise me, I would not have made the bet on the flop". But you didn't know and couldn't know, because of your position. A good player will know this and raise you with anything in this situation and you will have to fold. Are you starting to see the power of position? In the example given, which is quite typical, your position is more important than your cards!
Whole books have been written on position. You can not be a winning player without a thorough understanding of position. It is just not possible.
What you MUST know:
Preflop.
The earlier you have to act the stronger your cards must be. First to act you want to be raising with aces to tens, AK or AQ.
Middle position, extend the range to include AJ, AT, 99, 88....you will define your own range of hands in time.
If you are on the button and everyone has folded, raise with any two cards!
So the range of opening hands goes from AA to 72 depending on your position and prior action!
Generally, only ever play hands from the button (best), the cut-off seat (1 before the button) or the big blind if you can get in free. Note that you only get in free from the big blind if no-one has raised it before it comes to you; this often means that they have made a mistake (recall you can raise with 72 if you're on the button and no-one has raised it to you).
Postflop - I'll leave this to someone else.
If so, Ive also just pulled a webby
n Response to Re: Being in Position:
Off to the tables we go !
It is not always as simple as any 2 cards on the button then raise f there has been no action in front.
You have to also take into account your opponents reaction to your raises. If he see's you raise preflop every time you are on the button, generally, he will know you are stealing and loosen his range somewhat.
Then, post flop, expect a bet from the BB as he will try and take the initiative.
Takes some practice, but usually, the closer the button, the weaker hands you can play and raise with.
Six seater tables are ideal for learning this as even UTG is only considered a middle place on a ten seater.
Honest.