Understanding Table Position in Online Poker

08 June, 2008 09:43:00 admin

Font size:

Many new or inexperienced poker players would be more successful if they understood table position and the advantages and disadvantages of these positions. First, let’s break down position at the table. Your position is in relation to the dealer. The dealer is also called “The Button”. The button rotates left after each hand. The first three positions to the left of the dealer are known as the “Early Positions”. The next three positions are known as the “Middle Positions”. The last three positions are the “Late Positions”. All three of these positions require different play. Early PositionsThe first player to the left of the dealer or button is the small blind. The small blind is the smaller of the two forced bets to start the hand. The next player is the big blind. This player posts double the small blind and the larger of the two forced bets. The third player in this group is the player that has to act first after the first two cards are dealt. This position is known as “Being Under The Gun”.Early Position players have to be very selective in their hands because they don’t have the advantage of seeing how others play before it’s there turn. As a result you should play much stronger hands when you’re in these positions. Weaker hands have a much higher chance of losing in these spots.Middle PositionsThe middle position players are better off than the early position players because they get to see more player reactions and bets. They still have to play high to strong hands though, but can be less selective.Late Positions The late positions obviously have the advantage because they get to watch how the other players are betting, but it also gives them ability to focus on the size of the pot. These players can play weaker hands and have better success at winning the hands. They can take a chance at the flop by limping in with weaker hands. The dealer or button has the best position because they can see the most hands without making a bet. The dealer can steal hands buy raising on the button and winning the blinds or pot. This is known as a “Button Raise” and is used frequently in online poker. Remember that when playing the late positions and especially the button, table position often is a better advantage then the starting hand you have. One interesting thing is that in some cases the later you play the better. This means there is actually advantages in certain situations to being the small or large blind players. We will leave this for another topic, but something to think about.

Add to: Add to your del.icio.us