The Importance of Seat Position
So you are sitting at a $3/$6 Hold'em table, and the cards are
dealt. You decide that with your hand, it is worth $3 to see the
flop. You call. The next two players fold, the following player
raises. Now you decide that it isn't really worth $6 to see the
flop, and you wish you had never placed a bet in the first place.
That is difference table position makes. Had you already known
someone was going to raise, you would've saved three dollars
that hand by simply folding. Knowing what your opponents are
going to do makes a difference.
A full Hold'em table is broken into three pieces. The first
three players are said to be in Early Position. They must act
before most of their opponents. Because they are acting first,
players in early position should avoid playing marginal hands.
After all, there are up to nine more hands at the table to
contend with. Instead, players in early position should limit
themselves to playing only premium hands.
The next set of players at the table are said to be in Middle
Position. They have seen some of their opponents act, so they
have an idea of what they are up against. If no one has raised,
players in middle position do not need to limit themselves to
only the premium starting hands. Another advantage of middle
position is that there are fewer players who have not acted, and
so the chances that someone will raise you are lower.
The last set of players are said to be in Late Position. They
have the advantage of having seen most of their opponents
already act. The very last player to act has the most advantage
that table position can offer. They have seen everyone act, and
should they decide to call a bet there is no chance of someone
raising them. Players in late position can play a wider range of
starting hands because they already know how many opponents they
will be facing.
The general guide is to play very tightly in Early Position
sticking to only the best starting hands. In Middle Position,
stick to playing good starting hands, but they need not be the
very best. In Late Position players can afford to play much more
loosely.
Of course there are different betting strategies that can be
used depending on your table postion and the actions of your
opponents, but the first thing to understand is that where you
are seated in relation to the dealer makes a difference. You can
improve your game right away by simply paying attention to your
table position.
This article compliments of the http://www.pokerprophet.com