position
Position in poker is a concept that players must be aware
of. A positional advantage is sometimes worth as much as the cards
themselves. So.. what is position? In poker, each player will act in
turn,
relative to their seating position to the dealer and the blinds. The
small and big blind act first (after the flop, before the flop the
under the gun player is first to act). Position is generally described
as early, mid or late. If you are on the button, you are the last person
to act in that round. This advantage of acting last is significant
such that each player is guaranteed a chance to be on the button by
rotating the position clockwise for each round. A player in early
position is at a big disadvantage as they don't know how many players
will be in the hand, if they raise, they don't know if there will be a reraise. This means that early position
players must play very tight conservative. The late position
player on the other hand has many options available to them. They can
raise if they believe everyone is showing weakness allowing them to
steal the blinds. They can fold hands they don't wish to play against
multiple opponents (small pairs) and they can play drawing hands if the
number of players in the round and the pot odds is favorable. None of
which is available to the early position player. Also the bluffing
chances of success are most likely from late position. Bluffing
from early position is risky as there could be a re-raise if someone has
a good hand. Something the early position poker player cannot know until
it is too late. So what should a beginner poker player know about
position? Don't limp in with weak hands limp only if you are trapping with a
big pair. Don't try to bluff from early position. It is not worth it.
That said, there are no written in stone rules for poker. Each situation can have
an exception to a rule. If you are on a table where everyone is getting
in on each hand, then you can extend your range. If all the players
appear timid, you can try to bully them from any position and fold if
they catch a hand and push back. You must be flexible and change your
tactics as the table dynamics require. All this comes with experience.
Poker is a game and as such it must be played with fun. If you are not
having fun there is no point playing. The most fun you can have is when
you are winning pots and busting your opponent's bankrolls. To achieve
such a level, you must study and put effort into learning the tricks of
the trade from the top players. Watch videos of poker gameplay in the
poker video section. As you can see, some of those guys are super
sharp and they are quick. There are guys(and gals too) out there
that can play multiple tables faster than you can play a single table
Don't worry, there will be plenty of beginners who are still learning
the basics. Online poker makes it easy to enjoy the game at your own
convenience and even make some money if you have a knack for it.
beginner poker tips
advanced poker tips
