Position strategy in holdem poker is super important. Always keep this in your mind if you want to learn some good winning poker; The first three seats to the left of the big blind are "early position", the next three seats are "middle position" and the final two seats (the cut-off and button) are "late position"
This is very important, put those definitions on your head, the first three seats are early position, the next three middle position and the final two late position. You may find it helpful to think from the opposite end: the button and one seat to the button's right are late position, the next three seats to the right are middle position and the three seats to the right of that are easly position. If you get in the habit of counting backwards from the button, you will easily be able to adapt to games with less than ten players.
Position matter a lot in holdem poker, if you are the button you will be acting last on the flop, turn and river and acting last in a SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE.
- If you act first you will be under a disadvantage, you don't know what others could do and this is normally called "blind spot", where you have no clue what's going to happend.
- On the contrary if you happend to act last you will see everyone developings their game at the preflop, flop, turn and river, you will have time to adapt to their plays since you can see what's going on.
Note that playing on an early position forces you to play with better hands than when playing from late position, this is just becouse you are playing blind (and yeah that's why the big blind and the small blind are called "blinds")
The earlier you are in the betting order, the more likely a player behind you has a big hand, but you can use that to your advantage, since if you happend to make a raise from an early position it's a sure thing you have a hand, still think about it and beware of the reraises becouse if u happend to be under the gun (first to act after the bid blind) on a ten player table, there will be nine players to act behind you before the flop, that's nine chances for someone to get AA or KK (or any moster hand could destroy you)
Position have a psychological advantage, when you raise from early the players will think you have a lot and when you raise from late the players will think you have nothing.
Now you can see that the position strategy is one of the top notch concepts in holdem poker , you can use it to your advantage, everyone that is skilled enough will.
Holdem poker is a game of skill, the more skills you learn the better poker player you are, Playing with the table position applies to this logic, also bluffing, betting, being selective and tons more poker strategies.
Note: Being aware of your position isn't the end of it, you also must be aware of your opponents table position, so if they are in late and raise you will interpret their hands as weaker than if they have raised from early, got it?
