If you are new to playing online poker, you have probably heard other poker strategy sites and players discuss the importance of position. This doesn’t refer to your spot at the table, or your opinions of hands – this is your position relative to the hand, blinds, and action.

In a general way of looking at it, you must consider position in nearly EVERY poker situation you find yourself in. If you fail to do this, you can either leave a lot of money on the table or quickly bleed away your bankroll.

In Position vs. Out of Position

To be ‘in position’ means to have a final play in a hand. If you’re on the dealer button (or the big blind in the initial round of betting), you have the final say in whether a hand will be checked around or bet. You have a chance to see everyone’s actions in front of you and basically have the opportunity to reset the poker betting round to an amount of your choosing.

When players bet in front of you, they’re showing a demonstration of strength. While in position, you have the opportunity to get out of the way when bets escalate, and your hand sucks.

When you’re ‘out of position’, you need to act early in hands. In general, only play big hands. With mediocre hands, you’re better off checking and seeing what other people do.

While we don’t advocate passive play, when you’re early in a hand without a dominating start, save your cash for when you want to be involved.

Acting Under the Gun

Being ‘under the gun’ means you are the very first player to act in a hand. As we discussed above, it’s better to let premium starting hands do the talking in these situations – unless you feel a bluff is the right play.

Keep position in mind while playing, and your profitability will increase.

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