Playing Position in Poker

For those who are unaware, table position is very important in an poker game. What is table position? Well simply put, table position refers to where you may be sitting in relation to the dealer button. As the button moves, obviously your position will change. Since your position is always changing, it's important to be aware of where you are sitting, what the best starting hands are for that position, and why table position is important to your overall poker strategy.

Table Position

Table position is referred to in many different terms. In this article, we will try to use the most common terminology, so as not to confuse you. To best understand this, imagine if your poker table was split into 3 sections. One section starting from the small blind and ending with the player UTG ( under the gun). This section is referred to as "early position" or EP for short. The next section starts with the 4th player from the button and stops after the 6th player. They would be referred to as the "middle position" or MP. And last, yes you guessed it, the 7th player from the button to the button itself would be considered the "late position" or LP for short. For those who learn better by seeing, please take a look at our trusty table below. You will notice that we also refer to the players as EP+1, EP+2, EP+3, and so forth around the table starting from the dealers button. For some, this is a better way to explain where they are sitting. It's the same principal no matter how you look at it.

As you can see from above, table position is very easy to understand. It's just a matter of counting, starting from the dealer button ( shown in red). Now that you're familiar with where you are sitting, lets take a look at what hands you should play.

Starting Hands

Now as beginners, the advice you probably hear the most is that having good starting hands is key as you are inexperienced in making decisions with subpar hands. But it's important you realize that good starting cards go hand in hand with table position. Here is a list below of seating positions and what starting hands should be played. Please remember that this is just a guide, and your style of play and level of comfort will ultimately determine how close you play to this chart.

• EP+1-EP+3: AA-JJ, AK, AQ suited
• MP+4-MP+6: EP Hands & AJ-A9 suited & 1010-88
• LP+7-LP+9: EP/MP Hands + suited/off suit & suited connectors and pairs 77-22

Why Table Position is Important

Table position is important because poker is a game of information. Simply put, if you are in EP you are going to gain less information then if you were in MP. Why? Because you act first and do not know what the players in MP will do. Hopefully now you are beginning to see why the starting hands are so important. If you were to raise in early position with 10-9 off suit only to be re-raised by a player in late position, you could only assume he has a much stronger hand and would have to let the hand go. You just wasted chips on a mediocre hand instead of investing them in a better spot. Just remember that a player in late position can make a more educated play based on the actions of those before him.

By now, we're sure you have a lot of questions. Things like "what do I bet?" or "can I call that raise?" probably come to mind. Although we suggest you read into our other strategies, we would like offer a few suggestions:

As a beginner, it is always recommended that you raise about 3-4x the BB when you're the first to enter the pot. This will show that you have a strong hand and that others will need a stronger hand to play. You need a stronger hand to call a raise in front of you, then if you were to make the first raise yourself. This is known as the "Gap Concept."

For example, if you were first to enter the pot in MP with A-10 suited, you would probably choose to raise 3-4x the BB. However, if you were in MP with the same hand and someone raised in EP, you would need to think they have a stronger hand which leaves your A-10 behind. You would need a stronger hand to call this raise, then if you were to make the first raise yourself.

We hope that this has cleared up any questions you may have on table position. As you can see, table position in poker is much more than about where you are sitting. It is a strategy and an art form all on it's own. And when you know where you are sitting, what hands should be played, and in general why table position is important, you have gained a great base of poker strategy to build from.