Poker Positions: Advantages and Tactics

18.10.2024
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Poker Positions Advantages and Tactics

What are we talking about here? Poker position is the player’s seat relative to the Dealer Button, which is constantly moving clockwise. Thus, the positions are also constantly changing, and poker players have to adapt their strategy.

What should you pay attention to? For simplicity, people group positions in four categories: early, middle, late, and blinds. The number of seats also depends on the size of the table: classic (full ring) tables for nine players, and short (shorthanded) tables for six or less. Accordingly, the tactics of playing at them will be different.

The Importance of Positions in Poker

In Texas Hold’em, information is king, whether the player collects it during a particular hand or during the whole game. The skills of gathering information and the ability to take advantage of a position in poker significantly increase the chances of winning.

The Importance of Positions in Poker

The most favorable position is the Button. Here, even an average player can play successfully in the long run. On the contrary, UTG (Under the gun), SB (Small Blind) and BB (Big Blind) are positions where people usually lose the most.

The key principle of the positional game is that you need good reasons to fold when in good position. If the position is weak, then the opposite condition applies: here you are looking for reasons to stay in the hand.

In is usually favorable to attempt to steal the blinds by raising from late positions. When everyone has folded to the Button preflop, there is a good chance to steal the blinds by raising and making the two remaining players fold.

To fight back, players on blinds need decent hands. Same goes for the postflop, if everyone has checked to the Button, it is highly likely that no one has a decent hand, so the Button can try to bluff. So Button provides a lot of opportunities to steal the pot both preflop and postflop, and you also don’t need a very strong hand to enter the pot in this position.

When a player is in position (he is the last to act), it is tougher to make him fold. He can call the bet and look at the next card, and then decide what to do after his opponent makes a move.

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When in position, going all-in could be especially effective. By using this method, the player knows in advance how many chips will be in the pot by the end of the betting round. Being the last to act is a big advantage.

It is easier for a player in position to refuse to continue the game with a not very strong card. When other players are in a fighting mood and make big bets and raises, you can fold an average hand without regret, despite having some potential. With the same combination, but out of position, the player is at risk, because if he bets or checks, he can easily face a bet or a raise.

Another bonus is that if you check/call down and lose being in position, you don’t have to reveal your hand. Thus, opponents will not be able to get valuable information about your tactics.

Types of Poker Positions

A classic poker table has nine positions (seats). The rules of poker ensure that no player has a significant advantage. Positions are changing after every hand played (the players don’t change the seats). When the hand is finished, the Dealer Button moves clockwise to the next seat.

 Early Positions

For a classic table for nine players, this category includes two seats – UTG and UTG+1. If there are ten player, then there’s UTG+2, which is considered an early position as well. UTG is the very next seat to the Big Blind, UTG+1 is the next one, etc.

It is believed that players in early positions are “Under the gun”. This is where the UTG abbreviation comes from.

It is very tough to make money playing in EP (Early Position). UTG player is the one to start the preflop betting round. Postflop, Small Blind is the first to act, then Big Blind, then UTG. If blinds fold, then UTG is the first to act.

Middle Positions

Following UTG at the poker table are three middle positions. They are MP1, MP2 and MP3, although MP3 is often referred to as Hijack and MP2 as Lowjack.

Middle positions provide more opportunities to play hands, because there are less players to act after you. When playing against the small and big blinds, middle positions will act last.

Late Positions

There are only two such positions in 9-max poker:

CO: Cut-Off. This position is to the left of MP3. It is a position where you can “Cut off” the Button, to guarantee that you act last postflop.

Late Positions

Button. The most profitable seat in Texas Hold’em and Omaha. The position next to the Dealer Button always allows you to be the last one to act postflop. Here, if everyone folds before you, you have the best situation to steal the blinds.

SB and BB (Small and Big Blinds)

The Dealer Button determines the location of the remaining positions, and indicates which of the players make mandatory bets (blinds). The position to the left of the button posts a Small Blind, usually half of the BB. And the next player clockwise posts a Big Blind.

Why are those positions the least profitable in poker? It is not only about the fact that you have to make mandatory bets here, you also have to act first postflop. Thus, they have to bet “blindly”, since the actions of their opponents are not yet known.

Postflop Action Depending on Positions

Postflop, a player in a favorable position makes a decision when all the other players have already made their moves. Such a seat often gives a significant advantage in Texas Hold’em.

Strong poker players often focus on big pots. They also try to play in position most of the time, where they are the last to act.

Competent poker coaches advise reducing the range of hands played in early positions, since otherwise there is a high probability of encountering difficulties postflop. Let’s say a player in the EP opens 78s, and the Button calls. The flop is AT3 rainbow. What to do in such a spot?

The EP player certainly did not hit the board, but the Button could’ve missed it as well. However, EP is the first to act. If EP starts with a check, Button can often bet and steal the pot, since EP showed weakness.

Good players in spots like that often seize the opportunity on the Button when other players check and steal the pot.

Positions at a Shorthanded Table in Poker

Poker tables for six players or less are called Shorthanded (SH, 6-max). The game dynamic here is completely different from 9-max (Full Ring tables). At Shorthanded tables, the games are faster and the variance is higher. Thus, positions change more often.

Shorthanded tables attract fans of fast play. Thus, poker players who prefer a measured style choose Full Ring.

Positions at a Shorthanded Table in Poker

In general, positions in 6-max and 9-max poker are the same. Only the number of players in the first case will be smaller.

Beginners should not start with 6-max tables. If a beginner still decides to play a more dynamic online version of Texas Hold’em, he should follow a few simple rules to reduce the influence of variance.

As noted above, the most profitable positions at the poker table are late positions. In late positions, you can play based on the actions of your opponents. It should be taken into account that the position in 6-max poker changes much more often. In this regard, it is necessary to expand the range of starting hands.

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Shorthanded tables require a more aggressive style of play. You post blinds more often, so you pay more per hour on average. You should enter the pot even with hands that would be considered weak at a 9-max table. Since your opponents also use wider ranges of starting hands, you can push them out of the pot more effectively.

6-max games can be compared to 9-max with the first three players folding their hands, although with some nuances. This is how you can imagine playing 6-max at the beginning.

Tactics for Some of the Positions

A beginner poker player should strictly follow preflop charts. It is necessary to get the understanding of preflop range construction, which comes with experience. Strict adherence to such charts, even if it seems that there is an opportunity to play more hands, characterizes the player’s discipline and his attitude to the learning process.

With this approach, beginners master poker skills faster. Already at the very beginning, they can produce some solid plays. This is again necessary to eventually start forming one’s own logical chains considering the game of poker. Below are some basic ideas and tactics in different positions:

Steal

Earlier, we mentioned such an important element of positional play in poker as stealing blinds. This technique allows you to earn chips effectively. It can be successfully used in late positions (BU, CO), which give you advantage postflop because you act last.

Steal

Therefore, you can profitably play a wide range of hands even if opponents don’t fold preflop. You don’t really need a big advantage in terms of ranges.

Resteal

Resteal is a way of fighting steals. The idea is that you 3-bet against a steal to make the villain fold preflop if he has raised in late position (BU, CO or SB). Since everyone understands the profitability of late position steals, many opponents do this with a lot of weak hands. You can protect your blinds by 3-betting reasonable hands both for value and as a bluff (Resteal).

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Postflop pressure after a raise from an early position

When someone raises in an early position, people at the table usually realize that he has a strong range. You can use that image to bluff aggressively postflop. However, you have to also watch people’s reactions carefully. If you get action, they probably don’t have a lot of bluffs or weaker hands.

Frequently Asked Questions about Poker Positions

Now you know which position at the poker table is the most profitable. Regardless of the

Is it possible to play poker without understanding positions and other theoretical concepts?

Of course, it is possible to play poker without theoretical knowledge, but understanding the basic tactics and principles will significantly increase the chances of success. Moreover, if you study the game it leads to a much more exciting experience. Poker is not just a game of luck or skill even, it is both. Having understood the theory, you can more effectively control game situations and make the correct decisions more frequently.

What positions provide the greatest advantage in poker?

Of course, it is very important which seat at the poker table a player occupies. However, even the most advantageous position does not guarantee victory. Of course, the CO and BTN seats provide a significant advantage over opponents, since here players are the last to act, having analyzed the moves of their opponents. In such positions, it is easier to make an effective choice.

How can you remember starting hands for different positions at the poker table?

Charts is the answer. Those things include tables of starting hands for each position, which you can then use during the game or just remember.

However, playing in position cannot guarantee you the win. Success, even with a strong hand, only accompanies those poker players who know how to use the advantages of their position at the poker table.

Nik Maslov Professional poker coach since 2021
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