Strategic Poker Consequences of Table Position

Position refers to the order in which players are seated around the table and the strategic consequences of this. Generally, players in earlier position (who have to act first) need stronger hands to bet or raise than players in later position. For example, with five opponents yet to act behind a player, there is a greater chance one of the opponents will have a better hand than if there was only one opponent yet to act. Being in late position is an advantage, since a player can see the action ahead of him/her. Taking this into account, it is generally more profitable to play hands in late position for non-advanced players. Most of the time a successful player should play a range of hands in accordance with their position. If you haven’t yet learned about table position or its affect on your poker game, you could be costing yourself a lot of money.

Shown on the above diagram of an online card table are positions. Specific terms are used to describe your position in relation to button. Sections of general position strength are also displayed above.

“Dealer“, “Dealer’s Button“, or “Button” – The button is the most profitable positions at the table since the player here is last to act on the flop, turn and river. This player can also attack the small and big blinds quite easily.

“Under the Gun” – This is the first player to take an action in the hand. This player will be to the left of the big blind. Being under the gun is considered to be the worst position in holdem. The player has little to no information about what is behind him.

“Big Blind” – This is the player to the left of the small blind.

“Small Blind” – This player is directly to the left of the button.

“Cutoff” – This is the player to the right of the button and arguably the strongest position at the table. The term “cutoff” comes from this positions ability to cut the dealer off from stealing blinds.

“Cutoff +1” – This is the player next to the cutoff. This term is for advanced poker play where most talented and educated players know about the normal cutoff. Therefore, they have invented a “new” cutoff to take advantage of less advanced players who abuse the regular cutoff.

Finally, there are terms to describe the general position of players at the table. General positions can be as “early position”, “middle position”, and “late position”. These terms are often abbreviated “EP”, “MP”, and “LP”. Players in early position (SB, BB, UTG, UTG+1) are some of the first to act in a betting round. “Middle position” is the three positions after the player under the gun. “Late position” or “LP” players are some of the last to act in a betting round, like the cutoff and button. These specific and general positions are used for full nine or ten man tables. Obviously, in tournament or SNG play players are eliminated, rendering middle position and some specific places useless. Full table tournaments and cash tables utilize table position terminology best.

Obviously, advanced players like the pros we watch on television can play nearly any two cards in any position. However, most beginning or novice players should stick to playing a specific range of hands at a certain position at the table. Although “any” two cards can theoretically win, playing less than premium holdings in the wrong position is a major bankroll leak for non-advanced players.

In early position you should play:

* High Pairs: AA – JJ
* High Suited Cards: AKs – AQs – KQs – AJs – KJs – QJs – TJs
* High Unsuited Cards: AK – AQ – KQ

In middle position you can add to the list:

* High Suited Cards: ATs – KTs – QTs
* High Unsuited Cards: AJ – AT – KJ
* Middle Pairs: TT – 77

In late position you can add to the list:

* Suited connectors: T9s- 67s.
* Small pairs
* Ace-rags suited: but use your discretion for these hands

Use Your Table Position to Win Money at Full Tilt Poker

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Small Stakes Sit N Go Poker Play

Playing cash games can become very difficult for most players. Having the discipline to sit through thousands of hands for a measly 2-3 big blinds in profit every 100 hands is a true grind. I know because I have tried it myself many times, making small but almost insignificant profits. Then I discovered what I believe to be a better way to play online poker for the average player. Small tournaments called Sit n’ Go’s (SNGs) usually consist of anywhere from 6-9 people, where as multi-table tournaments (MTTs) have multiple tables of 18 or more players.

The upside to playing in SNG’s online for me is my ability play for cash while managing my bankroll. Furthermore, most SNG’s take around an hour to complete, where as MTT’s can take 6 hours or more. I also like the blind structure of these types of tournaments. Blinds increase quite slowly allowing me to sit back and wait for playable hands. Furthermore, since these tournaments usually have 9 players and 3 payout positions I have a good chance of achieving positive ROI. Obviously if only 3 places payout, that means I have to be better than 6 other players at the table to win long term- 1 in 3 players cash in the money. Being that there are almost always 2-3 weak players at the small buyin SNG’s, cashing is fairly easy.

The real secret to successful SNG play is patience, especially early on when the “fish” or weak players are overplaying non-premium cards with low blinds. These donks don’t understand the importance of position or fold equity. They also don’t understand odds, implied odds or general probability for that matter. What I have noticed most about these juicy SNG’s is the inability of fish to lay down top pair. Because of this I have adjusted my play to over-raise premium holdings (AK, JJ-AA). Instead of the standard 3-4x raise I’m usually pushing 7x or better. For example say the blinds are 25/50. Instead of raising 150 with a 1500 chipstack and getting called by 3 people, I raise 300 and get one caller, who is usually holding garbage in the small or big blind.

Its amazing to me the amount of people willing to call off 30% of their stack on 67 suited or Ace X – both rags against a massive pre-flop raise premium holding. The fact that fish are unwilling to get off top pair also works to my advantage with implied odds. If I was for instance holding 55 facing a standard 3x raise, against an obvious over-pair I’m usually getting the right implied odds for a call. These weak players under-bet their premium hands and over-call on non-premium hands – a recipe for disaster long term.

Playing tight early on and aggressive later works to my favor in almost all SNG’s. First playing tight when blinds are low allows me to see a ton of hands, bettering my chances of picking up AA, KK, and AK. Secondly, tightness early on gives me a better chance of stealing blinds later on when I really need to since I have a tight table image. Lastly, tight-aggressive (TAG) poker is profitable poker in the long term. Unless you are Daniel Negraneau and have expert reading ability stick to TAG.

Playing low stakes SNG’s or cash games for that matter is considered “laughable” by many people. However, I have found more enjoyment from $5-$10 entry fee SNG’s than from any other stakes. It allows me to relax and play my game, without having to worry about losing money I would really need. Secondly, with lower stakes comes easier competition. As I mentioned their are always a couple fish and one donkey at nearly every SNG I play at. Attacking those players usually allows me to have a much better chance at cashing with consistency. Finally, lower stakes SNG’s allow me to develop my skills as a poker player, while staying within my smaller sized bankroll. Small stakes SNG’s are a great way to begin learning online poker.

Small Stakes Sit N’ Go’s at Full Tilt Poker

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