Know that Position is Key

Just the other day a good friend of mine told me that he didn't have as good a grasp on position as he would have liked. Now this wasn't just some ordinary No limit player. This guy is a poker player that has won several online poker tournaments and recently won a smaller event in Las Vegas. So, it is with his initial statement in mind that I am writing this article. Understanding position at the poker table is always a key component to playing well in my opinion.

Why?

Because position gives us leverage and allows us to act last in the hand. By acting last in the hand you have position over your opponent. This allows you to do a couple of key things in any poker hand.

First, by acting last in the hand I can easily control the pot size. This is particularly true when a hand has been checked to me. Maybe I am on a draw against an aggressive player that likes to check-raise. If so, I can simply check behind them and take the free card which will save me money against a player like that. Second, if I happen to be involved in a hand in which I am on a draw and I choose to call a small bet and miss on the turn I still have the option of betting or checking. If I bet I can choose an amount that may win the pot outright or I can simply take a free card if the action checks to me. The same applies if my opponent makes a weak bet on the turn. I can re-raise in attempts to hit my hand or I can simply call if I feel the bet is small enough for another shot at hitting my draw.

Conversely, when you are out of position you have very little control over the pot size unless you have a premium pair. Even then if you happen to be holding [K][K] you may still be susceptible to a re-raise against [A][A] and be put to a decision early. At that point you have to consider how large of a raise it is in relation to your stack and most times you are going to call. However, with hands like Jacks or Queens this becomes more difficult if you have already raised it up significantly. Usually, in a live poker tournament when you raise from early position with Queens or Jacks and get re-raised you can almost be assured that person has Kings or Aces.

Using position and understanding your opponents and how they play the game are essential to winning poker tournaments. Position is also a part of good fundamental poker strategy and can be applied in cash games as well. The more you understand the dynamics of playing position the better off your game will be.