The Importance of Poker
Seat Position
So you are
sitting at a $3/$6 Hold'em table, and the cards are
dealt. You decide that with your hand, it is worth
$3 to see the flop. You call. The next two players
fold, the following player raises. Now 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.
That is difference
table position makes. Had you already known
someone was going to raise, you would've saved three
dollars that hand by simply folding. Knowing what
your opponents are going to do makes a difference.
A full Hold'em table is
broken into three pieces. The first three players
are said to be in Early Position. They must
act before most of their opponents. Because they are
acting first, players in early position should avoid
playing marginal hands. After all, there are up to
nine more hands at the table to contend with.
Instead, players in early position should limit
themselves to playing only premium hands.
The next set of players
at the table are said to be in Middle Position.
They have seen some of their opponents act, so they
have an idea of what they are up against. If no one
has raised, players in middle position do not need
to limit themselves to only the premium starting
hands. Another advantage of middle position is that
there are fewer players who have not acted, and so
the chances that someone will raise you are lower.
The last set of players
are said to be in Late Position. They have
the advantage of having seen most of their opponents
already act. The very last player to act has the
most advantage that table position can offer. They
have seen everyone act, and should they decide to
call a bet there is no chance of someone raising
them. Players in late position can play a wider
range of starting hands because they already know
how many opponents they will be facing.
The general guide is to
play very tightly in Early Position sticking
to only the best starting hands. In Middle Position,
stick to playing good starting hands, but they need
not be the very best. In Late Position players can
afford to play much more loosely.
Of course there are
different betting strategies that can be used
depending on your table postion and the actions of
your opponents, but the first thing to understand is
that where you are seated in relation to the dealer
makes a difference. You can improve your game
right away by simply paying attention to your table
position.
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