Playing In Position

Playing in position means that you are seated towards the end in the betting rotation. There are some pretty big advantages to playing in position. First of all, you get the chance to see what everybody else does before you have to make a move. Playing in position gives you the opportunity to take the control of the action in the hand. You will find that you can be a little bit less restrictive on your starting hand selection if you have position. Many poker players have a different set of requirements for starting hands based upon the position that they are in at the table.

Playing in Position with a Good Hand

When you have a good hand and good position, then you have to bet or raise to push the action at the table and in the hand. A good hand will beat many other hands, but there are also many other hands that will beat it. By playing a good hand aggressively, you will find out some information about what the other players in the hand are holding. If you get beaten when you are playing a good hand aggressively in position, then do not consider it to be a total loss because the fact that you ended up showing down a good hand will help when you are in position with nothing and are trying to win the pot with a bluff.

Playing In Position with a Great Hand

When you have a great hand after the flop, you may want to hold up your betting, even if you have position, to give the other players an opportunity to improve their hand. The reason that you would want to do this is so that they will pay you off on later streets and you will earn maximum value for your hand. Pre flop hands are never strong enough, even with pocket aces, to be able to warrant you trying to let other players improve their hand. You have to be holding a very strong made hand for this play to make any sense. You also want to be careful to mix up your play and not to always play the same hands the same way. Other poker players will pick up on that, and it will cost you dearly. You do not want to always be known to bet good hands and check great hands. Doing this makes you too predictable and will cost you a lot of money.

Playing In Position with Not Much More Than Position

Sometimes just having position is enough to win a hand. Many players will be aggressive when they have position regardless of what two cards they are holding. Aggressive poker players tend to do much better in the game of Texas Holdem poker, and this is surely an aggressive move. As long as you show some restraint in being aggressive with late position then you will probably find that playing your position strongly is a very favorable play for you to consistently make in the game.