The Importance of Position in Poker
The position of a player in the betting cycle is an essential, yet often undervalued aspect of poker. Indeed, with the several facets of poker that are affected directly or indirectly by it, one can say that player position is one of the key fundamentals affecting almost every play in poker.
In poker variants like draw lowball, five-card draw and the phenomenal hold 'em, the position is known in advance before each deal because it is given that the man (or woman) under the gun or the person immediately to the left of the dealer will always go first while the dealer will be the last. In contrast, there is no certainty in player position in both high and low stud games.
As such, player position is more important in some variants compared to others. Player position is critical for the most part in hold 'em games and in draw lowball and five-card draw.
Nevertheless, acting last will always be a better option than acting first in most variations of poker as it will always be easier to decide what moves to make after seeing what one's opponents have done. Acting first is one of last things poker players should wish for as deciding what to do before knowing what the opponents will do is one of the hardest things to carry out in poker.
A hand that is worth the call especially if you are playing in a later position since there will be other callers will not be worth the same if you are playing in earlier positions since you won't be assured of other callers. So always target last player positions when playing poker as they are useful in indicating the winning odds of a hand through the response of calls and raises from other players.
Player position is also important when playing against certain player types such as those who play loosely and aggressively and those who are tight and conservative. One should be aiming for playing later positions especially against aggressive players as one will be in a better and easier position to trap and contain such reckless players when playing a hand after them. On the other hand, playing before a conservative player is as good as playing after them as such kinds of players typically offer no surprises.
Player position is one of the most vital of all poker basics. To learn and understand its concept is to learn and understand what makes the game unique. To recapitulate the gist of all that is said about player position: "Elsewhere first might be better, but in poker last is the choice of every bettor"
