Are you in right position?
Published on Jul 21st 2008 11:15PM by
fritzson - Views: 124
About the Author
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fritzson
Nibs: 3,245
Member Since: Apr 20th 2008
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Blog Post
Be in right position
Poker is like a very big pussle, there are lots of pieces to fit to get to make the game work. There are bankrolls, bettings, cards, player types, strategies... a lot as we all know by now. It is not easy but it is fun... maybe easy for some. 
Early in my poker career I notice, especially in tournies that positions are good to think about. Some how I just did it with out knowing about it. Maybe that is why I came a long way all the time in my tournies. Ok, not to money very often in the beginning because I didn't know about strategies. I played my cards as well as I do today, but today I have often a purpose for why I bet like I do or why I call or go all in. As I said I notice this about position early and many times I was very angry because I had to put out unnecessary money all the time. If I had what I thought was good cards I called BB of cours in early position (EP), especially in tournies there were always someone who rasied after me and I had to fold. One reason was that I thought he/she had better cards than me or me just been afraid to call - lots of chips. The raise came often in the middle postions (MP)... After a while I understand it was better to fold early and if I wanted to be in the hand I could play my good hands in late positions (LP). It gave some reslut, I came to money or just before money, but no top placement. I was always a shorty... and out pretty fast if I wasn't lucky.
Education with reflection is good
My mentors always told me positions, positions.. you need to think about positions when you are playing. I had to hear it when I wanted some support when I was sad about me was kicked out of a tourney. I didn't get it at the time... what positions, what does the guy mean? I had read a little about texas holdem... but I never reflected over positions. I had read about starting hands and where it would be best to play them. There we have positions.... KJ, good to play in the middle position... or late. We have Q9 for late position and AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ for early positions. I was not going to tell you about what kind of cards you should play where. I was going to talk about postions.
Take advantage of positions
I think there are many as me who sometime and very often forget about the position. I am thinking about when you have sitting for a long time and waiting for some decent cards to arrive... and it pops up in early positions, and in eager we call or start to play the cards.. without thinking about what position we are in. Early you should skip bad and half good cards and even or maybe in the middle. In late you can play almost any cards you want depending on what all the others have done. In late position you have the possibility to bluff too. If it would be so bad that you get a caller who has better cards than you, you will have the opportunety to fold and muck. Also if you want to chase a little the late position will be good, because if you miss you don't need to show what cards you are holding or playing. I see many times that many players are bluffing in early position, they just forget about the rest of the table... and they ends up showing what cards and also showing up that they are bluffing. Maybe some want to show the cards just to get some callers next time when they actually have it.
In late position you can also take advantage of pot odds. If it is worth a call.... it is importent to calculate if you hand is standing up to all the others or those who already are in the pot. If you have the hand you should of course go for it, if you have good odds.
Different positions
Dealer button
Position with the dealer button is abosolutly best. At the dealer button you are the last to act. You can choose to do what ever you want after all the others. If someone has done a rasie and you don't have the cards you can fold, you can re-raise if you have better cards or if you want to bluff. You have the options here, you don't need to put out unnecessary money or chips.
Under the gun
You are "Under the gun" directly after BB, you are first out to do your moves. You can hardly know what the others may have you can't read them in the same way as dealer button. You can't defend your self as you can do in late position.
Big blind
Forced to pay for the cards, and if the cards are crappy there is not much to do than to fold and lose some chips. All the other players can easily steal blinds from you, if you are not tough enough to defend your BB.
Small blind
Another blind who are forced to pay half price for the cards, SB the one BB easy can pick on. If SB calls to see the flop BB easly can raise,.. and most ot the time it is maybe better to fold SB. Also a position that others can steal from.
Cutoff
The place before dealer button, to the left on dealer button. This player has the ability to steal blinds by betting or go all in. Cutoff positionen can make it hard for dealer button, and also for BB and SB. As the cutoff you can be a bit naughty like the one on the dealer button.
Dealer button and Cutoff
Dealer button and Cutoff is the positions that I fear most and also love most. If I am in position I can steal for raise before SB and BB and I can fold if anybody else has gone all in or raise big, I can re-raise if I feel like, and I have the opportunety to bluff the others... and I also don't need to show my bluff. I can just muck it... which I can't in early position. I can also take advantage for the pot odds too... there are may options with late positions. Players starts to take advantage of those positiion later in tournies when blinds are getting higher. When the blinds are small the players are more nice, and not abuse their positions as much as they do in the later session when blinds are higher.
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Comments (3)
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Good post and a very important part of poker. One that is often over looked especially in tournaments.
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There's not much else to say about position. Excellent Blog Post and attitude!
Byes
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Thank you guys, and Josh you are right... but those including me who are playing out ot the position often calls a raise, depending how big. Just because we have already put money on the table. Then we can as well see the flop.. we can maybe hit a straight, or flush or something better than the guy who raised. ;o)
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