The position in poker is one of the most important aspects of the game. Almost all poker games can be played from any position – short of no position at all, which is why learning how to play from the position is one of the most crucial aspects of becoming a good poker player. Most importantly, being behind or ahead of your opponents at a poker table is vitally important to being a successful poker player, which is why working on learning to control your table position is one of the best poker tips you can learn.
The first question most people want to know is ‘What is table position?’ Well its quite simple, although it seems a little complicated at first, to have a firm grasp of the concept. In poker there are a few different positions you can be in, including ‘first to act’, ‘dealer’, ‘small blind’ and ‘big blind’. These various positions around the table are named as push, fold, big fold, forward, backwards and square so don’t worry if you don’t know the lingo!
When playing first to act you generally bet in blinds or folds to get the first shot at the pot. It’s important to note that you only have a ‘fair hand’ if every card that would help you win is already dealt. If you have a poor hand, you fold.
In the dealer position you can see how the cards are dealt and the first card dealt to each player is Capper made clear. (Remember you only see your cards and not the other players)
In poker you must follow the simple rules, unless your hand is bet out. If you player has a good hand, i.e. made a pair of kings or higher, you stay. If you have a bad hand you fold.
So you must ask yourself ‘What am I trying to accomplish with my hand?’ If you are trying to get the players to fold with your hand, you should stay in the game and bet, raise or fold, depending on your hand. If you just want to try and get the players to fold with you hand, you can bet or fold.
So the basic rules of texas hold em are these:
- you must have a better hand then your opponent2. if you think you have the best hand, you must call him to stay in the game. To call is to raise the bets, or raise the amount of bets.3. When you play both ‘Dealer’ and ‘Small Blind’ you must put in the bet in the ‘Small Blind’ to be considered a part of the hand. Not all bets in the hand go into the pot for the ‘Small Blind’ (unless you are playing a tournament, in which case this becomes the ‘pot’ and the blinds are put in the pot as well)4. The ‘ Dealer’ and ‘Small Blind’ are rigidly enforced so there is no point even opening them if you don’t have a better hand; they are the worst positions to be in.5. You do not have to worry about calling leaks, because they aren’t really leaks; it’s just that your hand will end up better or worse (depending on whether you stay in the hand or not)6. Most players play far too conservatively for their own good. The amount of danger you face when playing these hands is greatly diminished by playing them cautiously.
- Look for a straight and see if it would be better to draw for it or not8. Sometimes you can fine tune the tightness/looseness of your game and determine where you are at
Practice makes perfect. Poker is a game of handicapping and estimation. You are always on the lookout for tells, so you can nail ’em if you get ’em. Try these tactics out at online poker rooms, and then if they work, you got ’em.