by Matthew Hart

One of the first things new players to hold em learn is that position is very important. They learn that weak hands can not be played in early position and that being last on a betting round is a great advantage. Often, for novice players, position is considered to be understood, and the many intricacies of position are ignored.

In this essay I will try to explain some of the important considerations, regarding position. This article is in large part geared towards the no limit player, as position plays an even stronger roll in no limit play, but many points are applicable to the limit game as well. I will discuss both types of position in detail, the common, position in relation to the blinds, where acting after someone is beneficial, and the less understood, position relative to the raiser, where it is often better to act directly before the likely bettor.

When you look at position from a preflop perspective, there are a few main concerns. First of all, are the obvious ramifications. If you are last to act you have more information. You know how many players you are likely to face and have a much better idea of what it will cost you to play. Many hands, like suited connecters, that are easy folds up front become playable if there is a lot of competition and a cheap entry price. Other hands that might play well in late position, against only the blinds should routinely be mucked if there are many active players (hands like ATo).

The less obvious ramifications of position in your preflop hand selection, is the way your position will affect later betting rounds. Good no limit players are very cautious about building a draw out of position. Hands that are likely to flop draws may need to be discarded from an early position. Having position with a straight or flush draw, gives you many advantages. You will have a much better idea of what the price the pot will be offering you. You will have the option of raising for a free card, or checking behind and taking a free card, if the situation presents itself. This concept is especially important in no limit play, where an astute opponent will make it very uncomfortable for you if he suspects you are drawing and have missed on the turn. Always think about what you hope to build with your hand preflop, and if it is a draw you hope to build, make sure you have very good reasons to play it if you are out of position.

Another hand that can be difficult to play out of position is a hand likely to build weak top pairs. Hands like KJ, KT, and even hands as strong as AJ and KQ when unsuited, should often be mucked in an early position. These are the sorts of hands that usually will flop one pair when they hit. These are good hands to pick up a small pot, but will need to hit the flop with at least to pair, generally, to want to play a big pot with. In position, you are much better placed to know where you stand, and act accordingly.

One preflop hand that does not need position to be profitable in both limit and no limit play are hands where you are trying to flop a set. That does not mean that position is unimportant, you will win more with them in position, and you may be unable to play a lot of small and middle pairs up front, as you will not know how many opponents you will be up against or how much it will cost you to see a flop. It does however mean that they are fairly easy to play out of position. If you don't flop a set, most of the time you will give up without a fight. There are exceptions, like when you flop a straight draw and so forth, but generally you need to flop a set to continue. When you do flop a set, they are not terribly difficult to play out of position. You will almost always be trying to get as much money in the pot as possible, and eliminate draws. Generally, in no limit and limit play, I like to lead with my sets. If you or your opponent is short stacked, a case can be made for check raising, but generally bet out and get them committed to the hand.

Another kind of position that is not as commonly discussed is your position relative to the preflop raiser and the rest of the field. This becomes especially important when playing no limit when you are facing an especially active or aggressive player. In multi way pots when dealing with an active player I find that the best position to be in is directly to right, the opposite of what good position is conventionally considered. A hand like AQ on a flop like AT6r might be a monster against one over aggressive opponent, but if someone checks a set or two pair with plans of sandbagging the loose aggressive player, you might find yourself getting trapped right along with him if you act between the two of them. Imagine how much better off you are if you check, the loose player bets, and then the entire field has to act before you have to make your decision. In many ways, the worst place to be is on the left of the aggressive player in this situation, as you will constantly be in the middle and this will cause you to fold some marginal hands that would be profitable if played against only the maniac.(Bob Ciaffone talks in a good deal of detail about this in his book PL/NL poker)

While everyone knows position plays an important roll in hold em, many amateur players do not fully understand what is involved with decisions and how they relate to your position. Use your late position to pick up lots of pots when it is checked to you, and be very wary of building draws from out of position. Stay aware of your position to likely bettors and the rest of the field and be very careful not to get trapped in the middle. There is a lot more to be said about position, as it impacts almost every decision you make when playing any kind of poker, but I hope this gives you some ideas about what should be considered during the play of a hand.