About Position

Introduction

I haven't done a post like this in a while, mostly because I've ran out of topics that could fall under "the basics", but partly because I'm really lazy and do most of my poker talking in IRC. With that having been said, there seems to have been an influx of people wanting to know about position lately, so I figured I'd do a post outlining the general way I tend to teach about position.

I wrote this post a while back http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...on-180924.html but I don't feel like it was as accessible as I like information to be to new players. So now in general I like to use a framework for position based around 3 big advantages that are easy to understand and figure out how to use to improve results.

Advantage #1: Information

This is the advantage from position that's really ran into the ground, and rightfully so. What's interesting is that in my experience, new players don't seem to really understand how much of an advantage you get from having additional information. To tackle this, you've got to understand a little about ranges.

Every time your opponent acts, you can gather something about his range because it usually splits. If your opponent acts first in a heads-up spot, and he has both a checking range and a betting range, once he acts (no matter which action he takes), you automatically have a better idea of what hands are in his range. This allows you to have a more accurate idea of his range.

Because you haven't acted on that street yet, your opponent does not have the opportunity to narrow your range, and that's where your information advantage comes from.

Advantage #2: Pot Control

Because of the mechanics of betting, the player who acts last has the most influence over the size of the pot of all of the players left in the hand. In big bet games (ie: no-limit, pot-limit), this is absolutely huge since the last bet is often as big as or bigger than all of the earlier bets combined.

Note: We're not just talking about pot control in terms of keeping the pot small with a vulnerable hand. It also means making the pot big when it's desirable to do so.

For a simple example, imagine you're heads-up on the river in a fixed-limit game with Hero IP and Villain OOP. No matter what line is taken, it's Hero who ultimately decides how much money goes in the pot. For example, suppose Villain wants to put in just one bet on this street. If he bets, he could face a raise if Hero wants. If he checks, planning to call one bet, Hero might not bet at all. Similarly, suppose Villain wants to put in two bets on this street. If he bets, Hero might not raise (or even call). If Villain checks planning to check-raise, Hero has the opportunity to just check behind, meaning Villain doesn't even get one bet in. In all of the variations, it's Hero who has the real control over the betting.

In no-limit and pot-limit games, this is amplified since the thread of Hero putting in a big raise means much more than a raise in a fixed-limit game.

Advantage 3: Controlling Free Cards

If you're the last player to act in a hand, you are the only one who can make free card plays (or free showdown plays).

A traditional free card play happens you're in position, say heads up, and you are bet into on the flop. You put in a small raise with a draw, and your opponent calls. Most of the time your opponent will just check to you on the turn regardless because you were the flop aggressor. This gives you the opportunity to check on the turn, seeing both the turn and river cards for the price of your small raise.

There's a lot written on free card plays so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about it, but basically having this option gives you an advantage over someone who doesn't have the option.

Go-Go Gadget Pwn Some Noobs

Good luck.