July 16th, 2009
There's another drawback to being in early position: it's a little harder to bluff and represent good hands when you have to play early. Consider this hand as an example: you have A4KV in early position and you raise, making it two bets to go. Everyone folds around to the button, who raises again, making it three bets. Everyone folds around to you and you decide to put in the last raise, hoping to give the impression that you could have A*AV or K>KV. It's just the two of you to see the flop. The flop is 4*7*44, which misses you completely. You feel that it could also have missed your sole opponent, so you bet on the flop to give him a chance to fold. Instead, he raises you!
This raise probably means one of two things:
1. He knows he has a better hand than yours and he wants to make you pay to beat him.
2. He wants to intimidate you so you'll check on the turn, when the bets double.
You just call and see the turn card. The turn is the 84, missing you again. You've decided, though, that the raise on the flop was meant to slow you down. Since you're a good player and you know that it's usually a good idea to do the opposite of what the other players want you to do, you go ahead and bet on the turn. Again, your sole opponent calls you. Calling a big bet on the turn after raising before the flop and on the flop usually means you have a big pocket pair, particularly when the board has only low cards, as is the case here.
The river card is the Q4». Because of the way your opponent has played his hand you have to guess he has AVA*, K*K>, or QVQ> You have to check. When you do, he bets, and you reluctantly have to fold. What do you think he had? I'll tell you. It was A*K4, the same hand you had! So why didn't you split the pot, since you had the same hand? It's because your opponent had position on you. This exact situation arises frequently in hold 'em, and because of the community card aspect of the game and the obvious benefits of being in late position, it's hard to win hands when playing from an early position.
Here's another common example. You have J484, and the flop is 9*7*54. A 10 or a 6 will make you a straight. You check and call. The turn is the Q4. Again, you check and call. The river is the 2*. You missed. This time you have to check, and when your sole opponent bets, you have to fold. What did he have? Would you be surprised if I told you he had the same hand you did? How about if I told you he had 4V34, a hand you could obviously have beaten? The point is it doesn't matter what cards he had. The important thing he had was position. These two examples illustrate why you usually should not play purely drawing hands from an early position.
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July 15th, 2009
Position is a very important concept to consider when playing poker. It's especially important when playing flop games like hold 'em and Omaha because your betting position stays the same throughout all four betting rounds of the hand. If you're first to bet before the flop, then you'll be first to bet on the flop, on the turn, and on the river. You will always have to make your move without knowing what the players behind you will do, while the other players will always be able to decide how to play their hands in light of what you've already done.
Your position relative to the other players is so important that it's one factor you'll have to consider when deciding to play every hand that you're going to play for the rest of your poker-playing life. Here's a good rule: play extremely tight under the gun (in first position), tight in early position, and add a few more hands to your playable list only as your position improves. Your position improves as players ahead of you act on their hands. Your position also gets better from one betting round to the next as players behind you fold.
Usually, your main objective is to play your hand for one bet (to see the flop), hoping that no one left to act on his hand raises you, thereby making you have to fold or see the flop for two bets when your hand is worth only one bet. A raise behind you also opens up the possibility that someone who previously called ahead of you will now reraise.
When you call to see the flop, there are a few things you should consider. First, you should estimate whether you can see the flop for just one bet. You can never know for sure so don't be upset if you are occasionally raised. How many players are left to act behind you? The more there are, the more likely it is you could be raised. Exactly what is your hand? Is it good enough to play for two bets when you'd rather play it for one bet?
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