An Introduction to Position in Texas Hold'em Poker

Texas Hold'em poker is a positional game. This means that players act in turn in a fixed manner. Texas Hold'em poker is therefore unlike seven-card stud poker, wherein the first player to act is the one who has the highest-valued card. Thus, in Texas Hold'em poker, position becomes tantamount to strategy.

In Texas Hold'em poker, play starts left from the dealer table. The first two players to act are the small blind and the big blind, and are forced to make a bet. These first players to act are said to be in the early position.

Players who act last are said to be in the late position. In between the early and late position is the middle position. One is said to 'have a position' against another player if you are seated to the left or farther left of the other player.

Certain strategic implications come with the positions. The early position is said to be the worst in terms of strategy. This is because the blinds are forced to bet, and they are also the first to act. The first to act cannot have a clear assessment of the table, since only a few or no players have displayed behavior.

The middle position could engage in a minimal form of risk, since they have a partial view of the current condition of the table. But perhaps the best position in Texas Hold'em poker is the late one, since one could fully assess what the situation of the table.

Thus, it is better to play only superb hands in the early position, since one could not afford to bluff without information regarding other player's hands. In the middle position, one could play up to mid-range hands and soft bluff. A hard bluff may be harder to pull off if you are in the middle position, since most players are still in the hand.

The late position gives space for hard bluffing, especially if only a few players remain in hand. You could thus play all sorts of hands in the late position, given that the condition of the table is optimal for bluffing.

Position in Texas Hold'em poker also equates to the relations of power inside the game. Players in the late position hold much power over the earlier positions, since the earlier players to act do not have the privilege of knowing what their potential hands are. Keep in mind the strategic implications of position in Texas Hold'em poker, and you can easily adjust your strategy whatever your position is.