Lesson 2 – Table Position
So you are now in a better position to make a decision as to whether the two cards you are dealt will be worth betting on. However, before you put your money on the table, in fact, even before you have seen the hole cards, you can add a factor in your decision making process. Below is a breakdown of poker table position which has particular relevance to No Limit Hold’em.
Table position is often an overlooked aspect of poker play for a learning player but its importance cannot be ignored. Table position is broken into three sections:
Early Position: EP
Early position usually refers to the playing positions immediately to the left of the dealer incorporating the small blind, big blind and under the gun seats.
As the first to act once the cards have been dealt, under the gun offers you the least information on your opponents and what other hands may have been dealt.
As you are at a disadvantage in this position, playing anything but the strongest hands is not recommended because in calling the big blind or raising with a weak hand, the likelihood of a player raising after you is great and you may end up folding your initial investment or investing more chips in a hand that is most likely dominated by another players.
Small and Big blinds are the last to act during the first round of betting, offering some advantage but are the first to act for every round of betting after the flop.
Middle Position: MP
Middle position, as the name suggests, refers to the mid playing positions after the first to act and before the last to act.
As with early position, there is a disadvantage when playing from these positions but you do at least see how the early positions have chosen to play.
In this position, you may choose to play more hands than you would in early position, but as the middle of the road position might suggest, your decisions are much less black and white and numerous variables such as hand strength, your understanding of the players still to act and the action that has preceded you will need to be taken into account before deciding whether to play.
Late Position: LP
Late position refers to the last players to act before the blinds, particularly the cut off (penultimate player to act) and the button (last player to act).
From these positions you have the most information to work with from those acting before you and throughout the betting will be the last to act, giving you a continued advantage. Using this information, players in late position have a greater opportunity to steal pots by betting when the action has been checked around to you (nobody bets before you), suggesting you have a strong hand when those before you have indicated weakness.
Obviously, this is not fool proof and any player who then calls or re-raises your bet will then require you to think about what you do next but late position at least offers you the opportunity to attempt a steal where earlier positions don’t.
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