The Importance Of Table Position

Important Hold'Em Poker Position - Is it Really?

OK, today we will be dealing with the importance of Position in Poker. It could be very confusing if you are a new player to the game to understand all the talk about “how important your positions is” and having to act “accordingly to your position in the game”... Believe me, I should know because I was very neglectful of the relevance of position in my early stages of poker playing.

Let's cut to the chase – first some basic definitions:

"Having position" or “To have position” on another player. This means that you have the advantage over that player because he acts before you.

"First position" – this is when you are the one who acts first. If you're dealt-in in third position for example, but the Big and Small blinds have folded that leaves you in first position (until you fold). Being third to act is also called being an UTG player ("Under The Gun", first to speak after the blinds).

"Last position"- this should be the position you want to be most of the times. This position gives you an advantage over all the other players still in the hand. Even if you're not dealt in on the “button”, you're still in last position if no one will act after you (meaning the players after you folded).

Position and Expected Value

To tell the truth – Position is of Great importance, because it will alter the expected value of any given hand you have. Still there are situations where it is better for you to be in first position, but as a general rule of thumb in poker, most hands achieve their highest potential value in being last to act.

Although at “Showdown” (when the final players that have reached the “river” show their cards to determine the winning combination), all positions are the same - being in last position signifies that you'll have greater control of the pot size, hence you are able to extract the maximum value out of your “monsters”, while keeping your loss to a minimum when you expect your hand to be beat.

Lets clarify the whole concept with some examples:

Lets suggest that you are sitting at a 2$/4$ limit Hold'em table. You are in third position. The pocket cards are dealt and you get T9 suited. You decide that with your hand, it is worth 2$ to see the flop, so you call. The next three players fold, the following player raises and the next one re-raises. Now you have to choose whether to call and pay 6$ more. You decide that it isn't really worth $6 to see the flop, and you wish you had never placed a bet in the first place because you just lost your 2$.

That's one example how table position makes a whole lot of difference especially in the long run. Had you been in last position and known someone was going to raise, you would've saved your 2 dollars by simply folding. Knowing the actions of your opponents before you have to choose your own makes great difference.

Another example:

You have:
Q♣ T♣

and are in last position. You get to the “River” and the board is:
7♥ A♣ 8♥ 9 6♠

You have drawn a “straight” - holding what is most likely to be the best hand.

If you were to be in first position to act would you bet or call? What if he raises?

Could he have a J,T and make a higher “straight”? You're pretty sure that he has a strong hand because he has been active during the previous betting rounds so you figure that he/she has at least a pair of aces, maybe two pair, maybe even a set. If you were to act before him, you would have a tough decision to make.

But if you are in last position you don't have to worry about it - it's his problem. He has to brainstorm the situation to take the right decision of whether or not to bet his strong hand or not, knowing that if you have a “10”, you'll raise it and he will have lost an extra bet. He also has to think of the situation that if he checks, he risks missing an extra bet to a worse hand who would just check behind him.

Do you see how important and crucial can table position be in poker? You will bet if he checks, and raise/call if he bets. You will always adjust your decisions responsively to your opponent's actions and in fact will always make the right choice, but he/she won't.

OK let's see another example where you have a strong hand but that can be beat.

You have a pair:
A♥ A♠

and are last to act. The “River” shows:
A♦ Q♦ 7♠ 6♥10♦

The scenario is this – there has been action during the hand, mostly between you and the first player to act, but there are two players that have simply been calling all throughout the flop and the “Turn” all the way to the river. It's time for the first player to act and he bets, the next one raises, and the third player - bets! When that “10♦” came up on the “River” what hands did it create? Probably a straight, a flush, even a straight flush. It's true that you have a great hand but that was just until the “River” but now you should probably fold. It turns out that your position saved you a lot of money in that scenario.

Now lets examine the Hold'em Table Positions Grouping.

A full ten player poker table is divided into three parts (See the picture).

1. The first three players are considered to be in Early Position. They act before the two other groups of players and are thought to be the worst position group – of course there are exceptions. This leads to the conclusion that players in early position should play only the strongest hands considering the fact that there can be up to 9 more hands at the table which all can be a potentially winning hand.

2. The second group are the Middle Position players. They are able to see some of the actions of their opponents but should still have some reserves about the hands they play. Although the shouldn't limit their plays to only premium starting hands they should take into consideration the play of the Early Positioned players and have in mind that there is still one more group of players to act.

3. The last third part of the table is said to be in Late Position. These players have the priority to observe most of their opponents actions before they have to choose for themselves. The very last player is considered to have the biggest advantage on the table and should they choose to call a bet then there is almost no chance that anyone would raise (unless they are a complete beginner). Being in Late Position enables more looser play and a wider range of starting hands because they know their odds and the opponents they are facing.

The importance of position may be obvious, but lets generalize the whole picture: Statistically everyone in the long run,should be dealt the same amount of good and band hands, the difference in the end between winners and losers adds up to the amount you win when you win, and the amount you save when you lose.