Position

I think most players know that position is important in all forms of poker. However, I don’t think most players realize exactly how important it actually is, especially in no-limit hold’em. I’ve heard stud players try to argue that position is more important in stud than in hold’em, but that’s just not true. In fact, it’s not even close.

The lead or position in stud can change on literally every single street, so you can’t be assured that you will be in position throughout a hand, as you can in hold’em. In hold’em, position changes only for the blinds, once and only once in each hand. (The blinds go from being the last two players to act preflop to the first two to act post-flop.) So, in hold’em, when you start a hand in position, you will end that hand in position (except when you’re in the blinds, as I noted).

Now, in limit and no-limit hold’em, the action, obviously, is the same. But, position is much more important in no-limit than in limit. Why? Well, in both, you can save a bet, but in limit, a bet is a bet, while in no-limit, a bet may wind up being your entire stack!

Let’s look at an example: Let’s say that a tight player raises and you give him credit for having a big hand. You call with the 7 6. The flop comes 10 5 4, giving you an open-end straight draw and a flush draw.

When you’re first to act, you almost have to go for the check-raise. Betting out into the raiser just looks weak. Now, if he checks behind you, it puts you in a bad spot when a blank comes on the turn. And it’s even worse if it’s an ace, king, or queen. Now, you’ve got only one card to make your hand.

The flip side of this is that when your opponent’s the first to act and checks, you still have the option to bet. If he check-raises, that’s OK. This is a hand that you really need to play on the flop. You prefer to win it with a bet, but if not, you really need to get all in on the flop so that you don’t get shut out on the turn. (Of course, this changes if you’re both really deep, but that’s another column unto itself.)

Let’s look at another example: This time, you are the preflop raiser and hold the K Q. You get two callers, both of whom are aggressive. The flop comes 10-9-3 with one heart.

If you are first to act, you are in a very precarious position. If you bet out, you risk being raised and forced to fold your hand. If you check, you give up the lead and show weakness. Both of these options are undesirable. You can try the ballsy option of going for the check-raise, but if you run into two pair or a set, you’ll wind up with all of your money in there as a 4-1 dog!

Now, if you are last to act, or in position, this all changes. Your opponents will have to act first, and this is a huge advantage for you. For one thing, some players never check a big hand. Others aren’t sure what to do and stall, giving off tells for you to pick up on.

But the most important advantage you have when acting last is simply the ability to see a free card. If you sense strength in an opponent here, you can simply check and see fourth street for free. Now, if you hit a jack, you ginned, obviously. If you hit a king or a queen, you may have taken the lead, or at least picked up more outs. But the big one is, if you hit a heart, you can now call a pot-sized bet on the turn.

Some may argue that you can’t, because if your opponent has two pair or better, you’re a 3-1 dog, but if he has two pair or better, is he simply going to check-fold when the backdoor flush comes? Chances are, no, he won’t, so you’re getting implied odds. And if he holds only one pair against you, you’re only around a 3-2 dog. No implied odds are needed.

So, as you can see, acting last is a big advantage. Many players don’t realize it, and I’ve even heard poker pro Gus Hansen say that he’d rather be first to act so that he can bluff first (LOL; OK, Gussy). These players are flat-out wrong!

Todd Brunson has been a professional poker player for more than 20 years. While primarily a cash-game player, he still has managed to win 18 major tournaments, for more than $3.5 million. He has won one bracelet and cashed 25 times at the World Series of Poker. You can play with Todd online at DoylesRoom.com or live at his tournament, The Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge, in Bigfork, Montana. Check his website, ToddBrunson.com, for details.