Positions at Poker Tables
Position of players at poker tables is extremely important and strategic. The poker table position of a player may be the make or break factor in a game. The position of a player is where he sits vis a vis other players. Usually the point of reference is the dealer and what is significant is whether the person in question would have an early or late action in one round of betting.
Since the dealer is the point of reference, he usually moves from position to position so that everyone gets a fair share of being in each position. Being the last to act is considered the best.
There are nine players in a full table. The different categories of positions are a) The early positions b) The middle positions c) The Late positions.
Early positions are the three positions to the left of the dealer. These are the worst positions because these position holders have to be the first to bet without having any idea about the other players strengths. Amongst the early positions the person exactly to the left of the dealer is the small blind. The person to his let is the big blind. The small blind has to put in any minimal amount before dealing of cards happen. The big blind has to put in an amount bigger than that of the small blind usually double.
Middle positions are better than early positions because they get to know about the early position holder; however they still have no information on the late hands. The remaining are the late positions consisting of the dealer and the other two players to his right. These are the best positions as they have the most information on all other players.
Poker being a game of chance and luck as also a game of information, complete or incomplete-the more information one has the better are his chances of making an informed decision and thus better are the chances of win. Fortunately it is easy to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each position and thus the strategies that has to be adopted.
In the early positions one has to play the best hands because being the earliest to act every precaution needs to be taken. The middle position holders too need to be cautious but they are definitely at an advantage. The best of course are the late position holders and they can afford to be least cautious.
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