The Importance Of Position In Poker

While Poker is mostly a sport based on skill, and a little on luck there is a single-most factor that influences your game-play that is not purely based on your skill level. That is your position. Your position in poker is defined around where you are placed in the poker table. The position is important to take note of, as it impacts the poker strategy, in line with poker hand rules - you might need to use in order to actually make some winnings. Positions come with advantages and disadvantages and keeping track of these is crucial to strategising your poker game, especially to earn a favourable Texas Hold’em hand ranking.

Depending on how you are placed with reference to the dealer, your positions may be defined as an ‘early’ position, a ‘late’ position or an intermediate ‘middle’ position. Here’s some insight into each of these positions and their intrinsic advantages or disadvantages - so you can pep up your game skill with this knowledge.

1. Early positions: As the name goes, early positions are of players that have to go first into the game and make their advancements. They are the initial two positions (or more if the table size is large) to the left of the dealer that is called the early positions. The early position is typically known to be the least desirable of positions, as the players in this position are required to act before knowing anything about how the other players would play next. 
2. Late positions: Late positions a final couple (more in case of larger tables) of positions around the table, as counted from the left-hand side of the dealer. The players in these positions have maximum advantage of knowing the gameplays of all the other players, even before they need to make their first move. Thereby, this position is considered highly favourable and beneficial. 
3. Middle positions: Middle positions are mid-way between the early and late positions on Texas Hold’em poker table. They literally come mid-way with the advantages and disadvantages associated with the rest of the positions in the poker game. So, players in a middle position are said to ‘have position’ with respect to players before them (early players), while they’re ‘out of position’ with respect to the players after them (late players). 

Before playing a game of Texas Hold’em poker, you must make sure you know which position you’re playing in - and understand the implications of that position clearly before making any moves.