The Power of Position

Before we get into the nitty-gritty business of determining our starting hand selection, first we must understand how and why our position on the poker table effects our decisions. Before we delve into this, you should know the terms for the positions.

Below is a list of the positions on a Full Ring table, starting from the Small Blind and working our way clockwise:

• Small Blind (SB)
• Big Blind (BB)
• Under The Gun (UTG)
• Under The Gun +1 (UTG+1)
• Middle Position 1 (MP1)
• Middle Position 2 (MP2)
• Hijack (HJ)
• Cut Off (CO)
• Dealer Button (BU)

Before the flop, the Small Blind and Big Blind are in the latest two positions, but after the flop is dealt the Small Blind and Big blind are the first two positions to act.

Why Is Position Important?

In poker, much like the rest of life, knowledge is power. But we need to get this knowledge from somewhere, and the only way we can do this is by observing our opponents’ actions. If we’re In Position (IP), such as when we’re in the Dealer Button position, we can watch the entire table act before us and gain information about the strength of their hands. This makes being In Position very valuable, and we want to play the majority of our hands when we are in a later position on the table.

Obviously, the flip side of this is that being Out of Position (OOP) isn’t where we want to be. This is because we have to act first and, therefore, give away information about our hand when others are yet to act.

How Does This Affect Our Strategy?

As you may have guessed, we want to be In Position as much as we possibly can. This is because we can gain information more information on our opponent and control the size of the pot easier (by being able to check behind).

What this means with regards to our strategy is that we want to alter which starting hands we play depending on our position at the table. The later a position we are in, the more hands we can play. This is because there is less chance of a player left to act having a strong hand, and because we are more likely to be In Position Postflop. Simply put, it is a lot easier to play a weaker hand profitably when we are In Position.

Summary

• Our position on the poker table affects what hands we play and our actions during a hand
• Being In Position is incredibly valuable, allowing us to gain information on our opponents and control the size of the pot.
• This means we can play progressively weaker hands as we get to later positions