Poker Positions

The poker position is the position where a player is seated in relevance to the dealer’s button. Poker position is one of the most important considerations in the game. It has been proven that the players would have at least one advantage over their opponents, entirely through positioning.

Positioning, being an essential aspect of poker, is often overlooked by a majority of players. Loads of first timers usually believe that the game is solely based on cards, however things work differently. In a typical game of poker, everything actually matters and a good position in a game of Texas Hold’em Poker would augment your chances of a win.

Based on this, a standard 10 player poker table is divided into three positions. The ‘Early’ position, the ‘Middle’ position and the ‘Late’ position.

Early Position

The first four seats on the left of the dealer are referred to as ‘Early’ positions in the game of poker. This is one of the worst positions on the poker table and the player needs a stronger hand in order to face the opponents, who might perhaps raise or re-raise the pot. In addition, the player at this position is also mandated to reveal his hand in the first few rounds. Therefore the key here is to survive the first few rounds and estimate the opponents on the table. It would also be beneficial to bluff around for a few rounds before folding. To conclude with, always raise if you have card pairs like AA, AK or KK in a hand or you may also call with card pairs like JJ, QQ,  KQ, AQ, AK, TT and with such a position, it is best to fold everything else.

Middle Position

The next three places on the table, after the early positions are referred to as the ‘Middle’ position. This is not probably the best position to play in, however just because a player happens to be in the middle, he gets to play more hands than he normally would. There aren’t any good benefits as compared to the late position, but there aren’t as many downfalls as the early position. Ideally, a player stands a good chance of winning in this position if the players after him fold early. The players get better chances of calculating their odds in this position and you must simply try to hold on to some hands with the small suited cards. For an example, a player must call with cards like 88, 99, KQ, AQ, AJ, AT and QJ.

The Late or the Last Position

Finally, this is the best position as far as poker is concerned. To the right from the dealer’s call, the three last players on the table, this position allows you to gather a lot of information on the game. This is the best position to bluff and if there are fewer cards on the table and less number of players involved, it is best to bet regardless of the cards you have. This would scare the other players out of the pot and you would have all the added advantage. Being last on the table would allow you to see the bets of all the other players. Therefore it is extremely important to capitalise on the last position. This holds true for online poker tournaments as well.