Position is your current table position in relation to the button. Good positional poker play is in fact a very basic strategic concept but many players consider it the most important strategic concept of all. A lot of novice players totally ignore this fundamental theory though. That’s a huge mistake.

Your relative position to the button is oftentimes the key to winning or loosing a certain hand. Before you are willing to risk a single chip and enter the pot you should always be aware of your position.

We can distinguish between early positions, middle positions and late positions.

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Early Positions

The red seats in the picture above are the worst positions. There is a good chance you have to open each betting round and your opponents gather a lot of information about your hand already. Therefore, you have to carefully select your starting hands form early positions and tighten up your starting hand requirements.

Note: If you are playing form the blinds you are last to act before the flop – you have an informational advantage preflop. However, this advantage doesn’t compensate for your huge positional disadvantage postflop. You have to play three betting rounds out of position.

Middle Positions

If you are in middle position you have an advantage over your opponents in early positions and a positional disadvantage against the players from late positions. You can loosen up you starting hand requirements a little bit.

Late Positions

These are the best positions on the table for the current playing round. Changes are very good that for every postflop decision you make (flop, turn and river) you are last to act in every betting round and have a huge informational advantage. You loosen up your starting hand requirements drastically and open a very wide range. However, don’t feel too self-confident and open junk like .

Button

The button is by far the best position on the table. You are last to act in each betting round (except preflop) .

“Poker is about three things: Position, position and position.”, Nik Rossi

Positional Play

Open a tight range in early position – open a very wide range in late position. As easy as it is. On the button you can loosen up and open up to 40%-50% of your range first to act.

Positional Play – Example A

You are on the button open-raising . The big blind calls.

Flop:

The big blind is holding and he checks. You are betting your set and he calls.

Turn:

The big blind calls your bet again.

River:

The flush draw doesn’t hit and the big blind will sometimes call your bet and sometimes fold.

In this particular case you will get called more often than not. The flush draw missed and an overcard hit on the river which makes it more likely you are pulling off a bluff.

Positional Play: Example B

Same scenario expect you are out of position this time and you are calling the button open in the big blind.

Your hand:

Villain:

Flop:

You are check-calling the flop. You could check-raise as well but the board is very dry and it’s unlikely the big blind has anything.

Turn:

The button checks behind.

River:

The button folds to your bet.

In example A you were able to win 2-3 bets postflop. In example B your profit was just 1 bet. In position you are able to win much bigger pots than without position.

Position has a huge effect on the final pot size. In position you are winning much larger pots and loosing much smaller pots. Vice versa out of position.

Suggestions

Think about these situations in position and out of position.

• set on the flop
• draw on the flop
• vulnerable hand on the flop ( on )
• you are pulling off a bluff