Poker: 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.

Written and Contributed By Robert Marinelli
Copyright ©2004 - 2005.

I mostly enjoy the BB b/c I can see the flop most of the time.

I actually tend to fold when i have the dealer blind....maybe I should call it more often.

i think the best place to play is big blind or small blind,,,,because u see a lot of flops and it is easy to slow play

This is especially true in live tourney play as well as live ring games. I just got back from playing a weekend of tourneys at the TAJ. What a lively poker room. Early AM you can find a table but by late Saturday AM the room was packed with two tourneys in the main poker room plus one in the tourney room as well as a healthy diet of ring game play. 7 card stud is still very popular down in Atlantic City. Didnt see much Omaha.

What I found was online it seems to be more about playing your cards...Live play is about playing the people and the position. As this was my first real live tourney experience (short of one held in a bar which didnt employ professional dealers etc) I didnt hit the ring game tables to experience that part of it. I also wasnt thrilled at the blind structure that was used in my tourney. THe antes kicked in really early and I felt pressured to make things happen. In the one tourney I played. I had only three playable hands 55 (limped took a look and tossed).Then my AT lost when I didnt bet enough when the flop came AKx. I was afraid of AK in my opponents hand but she wound up having a K8 and paired her 8 on the turn or river and I made an expensive mistake. I went all in with AA and doubled up but in two hours that was all I had that was playable. I went out a little better then halfway when we were down to two tables out of 36 starting. I normally do much better then that.

I also felt it harder to detach from the players whereas online it is anonymous and even if your blinds are being attacked you dont seem to care as much. I got really resentful when I didnt have hands to defend my blinds. I felt really really naked. Heck on-line you can be butt arse naked and not care!!!

i tend to never raise, i just call if i have a good hand---and then in the end they are like u didnt even raise with that full house or flush or whatever, and i just say i didnt need to i let the others bet for me. i tend to think that if i have a good hand, and if i just call, the others dont know what i have. what u think of that type of playinga?

Very important,i never play low pairs under the gun,always in late position and with no raises.I really dont play many hands in early position,just high pairs and never any draws.

I love being big blind because it gives you a free chance to see the flop if no one raises.