Position Versus Aggressors

Position is important in limit hold’em, and even more important in no-limit. Late position gives you the opportunity to know your opponents’ actions before you have to make a decision on your hand. But position is more than just your relationship to the blinds; position in relation to the post-flop bettor enables you to make plays to protect your hand and control the betting.

Many players overlook the fact that position relative to aggressive players is equally important. Good players think ahead, accurately visualizing how a hand will play out, in order to position themselves optimally later in the hand. When designing plays and plotting the play of any given hand, good players envision the tendencies of their opponents relative to position.

It was a Saturday night at Bellagio. The action in my $30-$60 limit hold’em game was fast and furious. I was running great, up a couple thousand, when several players limped in and Steve, a lawyer from New York, raised from the button. In the small blind, I looked down to see the A J — a situational starting hand that plays very differently preflop in various circumstances.

Now, Steve was a frisky guy in the game. Several times earlier in the session, he had raised or called raises cold with some very marginal holdings from the button, indicating that he overvalued that position. I read him as having a very wide starting-hand range here; he could have two aces, but he also could have the 4 3.

Oftentimes in this type of situation, I three-bet if I think I can get some of the field to fold. If so, I can have dead money in the pot and possibly get heads up against a hand that I deem highly likely to be inferior, even though I am out of position. But the texture of this field was such that if they put in one bet preflop, they were calling all bets. I flat-called Steve’s raise, looking to hit a flop. We took the flop off six-handed for $60 each.

The flop hit me right between the eyes: J J 6.

I pondered how to obtain the greatest value. I often lead when I flop trips. Whether to move on such boards or trap has much to do with the texture of the field. Conventional wisdom is that paired flops are good to bluff at. Many players tend to read early action on such boards as bluffs. Leading out causes many players to misread you, because they assume that you would slow-play if you had really hit it. In this case, I could lead into the field with the preflop raiser last to act. If I led, the limpers called, Steve raised, and I reraised, I could trap players between me and Steve who would call all three bets, or cause them to put in one dead bet if they didn’t call Steve’s raise and my reraise. Such a scenario would play well in terms of expectation.

But while Steve is a recreational player who likes to play many hands and play them aggressively, there is nothing stupid about the man. If I led into the field, it would set off warning bells. He respects my wagers and would raise me only with a premium hand. That said, if the field checked to him, he would bet, whether the flop hit him or not.

My thoughts were conflicting — check-raise Steve or anyone else who might bet, or lead into the field. Which was the correct play?

I sensed that some of the players in the pot might not respect my check-raise and would call two bets cold with as little as a pair or a backdoor-flush draw. Plus, if I check-raised, I was going to guarantee at least one bet, and most likely two. And if I check-raised and got heads up with Steve, I would eliminate some of the beats that I might take if it was only a single bet to see the turn. Even if I didn’t eliminate them, I would at least charge them a higher price to draw. The pot currently had $360 in it, and it was not one in which I wanted to take a lot of risk in order to win a small number of bets.

I checked my three jacks.

The field checked around to Steve, who, predictably, bet.I check-raised. With the pot at $390, if I just flat-called the $30 rather than raised, I would have been offering a wired pair 14-1 current pot odds, with an implied price much higher and close to the correct price. You don’t want to offer your opponents correct implied prices to draw if you can avoid it. (That concept is even more critical in no-limit.)

The field folded back to Steve, who flat-called me. The turn and river were blanks. Steve called the turn, and folded the river.

By playing the hand as I did, I didn’t make much money after my check-raise, but I limited the draws against me. When there is a significant amount of money in the pot, increasing your likelihood of winning the pot increases your equity.

Always analyze how your hand will play in relation to your opponents’ ranges and positions. Think ahead to likely flops and how to continue post-flop, using your knowledge of your opponents’ tendencies.

I designed the play of this hand based on my observations of Steve’s play throughout the session. I took advantage of my observation of his tendency to overvalue being on the button, and to auto-bet when he had raised preflop and the field had checked to him on the flop.

When not involved in hands, I spend my time observing my opponents’ moods and tendencies. You need to constantly be thinking at the table about how the playing styles of your opponents and their positions relative to you will affect the play of future hands. Do this even on hands in which you are not participating. That way, over time, you will be better prepared when you are involved in a hand.

Longtime poker pro and author Roy Cooke’s Card Player column has appeared since 1992. A successful Las Vegas real estate broker since 1990, his website is www.roycooke.com. Should you wish to inquire regarding real-estate matters — including purchase, sale, or mortgage — his phone number is (702) 396-6575. Roy’s longtime collaborator John Bond’s website is www.johnbondwriting.com.