The Power of Position in Poker
The Power of Position in Poker
You have certainly heard a thousand times the importance of position in poker. The best way to illustrate how you can make money with position is to see an example where I show you how this works in practice.
The game is omaha high where pros say: "Position is everything". The given hand is on a $2/$4 pot-limit omaha table with 6 players. You are the big blind and everyone folds till the cutoff who raises to $12 and the small blind calls. You look at your hand: 9cJs5sTs. Not a premium hand but there are flush and straight possibilities and the raise of the cutoff does not mean anything. It can easily happen that he only wanted to take the blinds and does not have any reasonable hand to play with. The small blind only made a call and does not show any premium hand either. It is also important to mention the stack sizes. The cutoff has $400, the small blind $400 and you $312.30. You make the call, the pot is $36 and the three of you are going to see the flop. Some information on your opponents' game style would help but you have just sat down and do not know any players at the table.
3d7h8s comes on the board and the small blind checks. What a great flop for you! You have 13 outs to the nut straight and there are no flush draws on the board. The small blind showed weakness and you have no information on the cutoff. With a bet you might take the flop at this moment but if you get called or raised you are not going away from your hand either. The best would be to bet the full pot but you decide to make it smaller and you lead out with almost two-thirds of a pot bet, $25. The cutoff folds but the small blind calls. This is quite a good situation for you.
The turn card is the 2d and the small blind checks. Position in poker has a huge value as you will recognize. Your opponent checked again in front of you which basically means: "I have a good draw but I missed." A flush draw has come to the board as well; however you do not have diamonds in your hand. The weakness of the small blind indicates that with a big bet you would take the pot most of the times in this situation. With the second bet you also send the following message to your opponent: "I have a strong hand (in this situation most likely a set) and you have to pay for your draw". You bet $74, almost the full pot and the small blind calls.
This call basically tells you he is on a draw. A diamond on the river would make your situation uncomfortable but if a diamond does not come you can shoot another barrel. If a straight comes then you will have the nut most of the times. The pot is $234.
The river pairs the board with the 2h and the small blind checks the third time. The small blind basically gives the hand up with this check. This is an interesting situation, you have shown strength during the whole hand and you have to shoot the third barrel because if you check 99% of the time you will lose the hand. So the question is: how much should you bet to make your opponent fold? I advise you to not bet the whole pot if you make a bluff. The full size pot bet smells like a bluff so try to make a half- or two-thirds of a pot size bet which seems as if you just turned a full house and you make a value bet.
You bet $160 and your opponent folds. You take the $234 pot with a pair of twos, J kicker.
I hope you have learned how important position is in poker and you can use your online poker skills soon at the tables.
You have certainly heard a thousand times the importance of position in poker. The best way to illustrate how you can make money with position is to see an example where I show you how this works in practice.
The game is omaha high where pros say: "Position is everything". The given hand is on a $2/$4 pot-limit omaha table with 6 players. You are the big blind and everyone folds till the cutoff who raises to $12 and the small blind calls. You look at your hand: 9cJs5sTs. Not a premium hand but there are flush and straight possibilities and the raise of the cutoff does not mean anything. It can easily happen that he only wanted to take the blinds and does not have any reasonable hand to play with. The small blind only made a call and does not show any premium hand either. It is also important to mention the stack sizes. The cutoff has $400, the small blind $400 and you $312.30. You make the call, the pot is $36 and the three of you are going to see the flop. Some information on your opponents' game style would help but you have just sat down and do not know any players at the table.
3d7h8s comes on the board and the small blind checks. What a great flop for you! You have 13 outs to the nut straight and there are no flush draws on the board. The small blind showed weakness and you have no information on the cutoff. With a bet you might take the flop at this moment but if you get called or raised you are not going away from your hand either. The best would be to bet the full pot but you decide to make it smaller and you lead out with almost two-thirds of a pot bet, $25. The cutoff folds but the small blind calls. This is quite a good situation for you.
The turn card is the 2d and the small blind checks. Position in poker has a huge value as you will recognize. Your opponent checked again in front of you which basically means: "I have a good draw but I missed." A flush draw has come to the board as well; however you do not have diamonds in your hand. The weakness of the small blind indicates that with a big bet you would take the pot most of the times in this situation. With the second bet you also send the following message to your opponent: "I have a strong hand (in this situation most likely a set) and you have to pay for your draw". You bet $74, almost the full pot and the small blind calls.
This call basically tells you he is on a draw. A diamond on the river would make your situation uncomfortable but if a diamond does not come you can shoot another barrel. If a straight comes then you will have the nut most of the times. The pot is $234.
The river pairs the board with the 2h and the small blind checks the third time. The small blind basically gives the hand up with this check. This is an interesting situation, you have shown strength during the whole hand and you have to shoot the third barrel because if you check 99% of the time you will lose the hand. So the question is: how much should you bet to make your opponent fold? I advise you to not bet the whole pot if you make a bluff. The full size pot bet smells like a bluff so try to make a half- or two-thirds of a pot size bet which seems as if you just turned a full house and you make a value bet.
You bet $160 and your opponent folds. You take the $234 pot with a pair of twos, J kicker.
I hope you have learned how important position is in poker and you can use your online poker skills soon at the tables.
