How to play position against new players?

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Tk_Poker

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Ive been playing holdem since it became really popular in the mid 2000's but have never taken it seriously. Recently I have wanted to become a student of the game and try to learn to become a much better player. I play in some free tournament leagues and poker rooms with lots of soft players and tourists. Most of the tournament buy ins are under $100 so the chances of me playing against people who have no idea what position is, is more than likely. So how do you play position against players who don't know anything about position and are all over the place ?
 
takinitSLEAZEE

takinitSLEAZEE

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Hi and welcome to the forum. I'd take an orbit or two to see how the table is playing, find out who's playing weak aces and suited-connectors in/out of position and then form a strategy from there. A nice raise or 3-bet will usually keep those trying to sneak a peek at a flop w/mediocre holdings at bay. This will also steer them to play more aggressive w/these same holdings, which can/will yield some decent results. Just make sure when calling an 'all-in' you've got the upper hand. I hope this helps you prepare for your next game. Good luck, man. :top:
 
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r21sp

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Hello! I would advise you to play cautiously in the first time and play only good starting cards. After some time in the tournament, after examining your opponents you can start playing more aggressively
 
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RocwX

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New players tend to have one of the following styles: 1) too cautious and folds most hands that are not the nuts; 2) Loose cannons who think they can play chicken in any hand and win. If you manage to figure out fast who is doing what in your table you can take advantage. Against the first group of players you should play more hands and pressure them as much as possible. Against the second group you wait for a monster hand and let them hang themselves with the large betting.
 
This Fish Chums

This Fish Chums

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I play in some free tournament leagues and poker rooms with lots of soft players and tourists. Most of the tournament buy ins are under $100 so the chances of me playing against people who have no idea what position is, is more than likely. So how do you play position against players who don't know anything about position and are all over the place ?

First, you may be making a mistake thinking the players don't know what they are doing. If the stakes are low and there is no other game in town you may be playing against people who actually wish they were playing in larger stake games. As a result, they are going to play loose and aggressive because they don't really care about losing their measly $100 buy-in. In a local poker room here I once saw a player in a $44 buy-in tourny literally get up from his seat, leave his large stack behind, and go sit at the newly opened cash game table because that's what he was wanting to play, the higher stakes.

Second, "playing position" is about your hand selection, not your opponents. Playing position means you play tighter or looser based on your position in the hand. It's a way of giving your good hands the best chance of winning and your bad hands the best chance of getting out of the hand without losing chips.

That said, if you are playing against people who don't know anything about position then they won't respect you when you bet 5BB "out of position" and will call just as much as if you were in a great position. This means you can't bluff assuming they will understand what you have and fold to it. You may be able to bluff based solely on position when at a table full of premium players, but not at a table full of players who are playing loose (regardless of the reason).
 
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