The Importance of Position - Part 2

I'm going to expand some more on my previous insert. What I'm going to focus on here is WHO you want at the table in relation to your position, as well as a hand chart which will give you a good indication of what to play from what position. This is specifically for Hold'em so further study will be needed for other poker variations. WHO do you want at your table and, most importantly, WHERE do you want them sitting in relation to you. Let's say that you've got a maniac/loose/wild player at the table. The terms "maniac/wild/loose" means that this player will enter pots with any kind of hand. What you want to do is have the the aforementioned human ATM sitting to your right. Why? Because you can make a fortune off them. The advantage is that you get to act after this player so if they do limp or have a history of betting at the pot with any hand, you want to be able to re-raise them and maximize the profit you can make from them. So if you get the opportunity, watch the table, see who the maniacs are and try and get a seat where they sit to your right. Now we get the other side of the coin: the rocks. The term "rock" basically indicates that the player is tight, solid and will only enter pots when they have a very good starting hand - the rest of the time they'll be folding. These are the guys you want to your left. Why? Because unless they have got a premium hand, they will often fold so it's very easy to steal blinds from these guys and bet into them with bluffs. If you notice that you have a very tight player who you have been stealing blinds from all through the game, be very weary of when they do call (or raise) because it's likely that they'll have a good hand. That at least gives you information so that you don't risk any further chips if you suspect they have a better hand than you. The other interesting thing about this is isolation. If you're in late position or on the button and the maniac before you has bet/raised and you call or re-raise, the tight player to your left will likely fold along with others and the maniac to your right may call your bet. What this does is that it then pushes everyone else out of the hand and if you've got good cards, the probability of you winning against the maniac is much greater. Hopefully you'll remember my game selection column previously. Remember the flop percentages? These give an indication of the types of players at your table - the higher the flop percentage, the more maniacs, the lower the flop percentage, the more rocks. And you'll want to try and get a seat where you have the advantage :) Hand Charts - What hands to play from what position Here's a rough little guide of what hands are playable in various positions. You'll notice that there are less hands to play when in early position and playable hands start increasing the later you're positioned. Rough Starting Hand by Position Guide Eary Position Middle Position Late Position AA JJ 77 KK Q10 (s) 66 QQ 1010 55 AK (s) AJ 44 AQ (s) 99 33 AK A10 22 AQ 88 A8 (s) A9 A7 (s) AJ (s) A6 (s) KQ A5 (s) A10 (s) A4 (s) KJ A3 (s) A9 (s) A2 (s) K10 K10 (s) KQ (s) K9 (s) QJ Q9 (s) KJ (s) Q8 (s) Q10 J9 (s) QJ (s) 109 (s) 98 (s) K9 Q9 J10 * (s) denotes that the cards are suited i.e. A6 (s) means that it's the Ace and Six - with both cards being the same suit e.g. spades. Disclaimer: Please note that this is a very rough guide to the hands by position and is, from my personal experience, what I've had success with in the past. There are far more scientific, statistical & extensive hand chart resources available that can give greater insight on these starting hands so if you're wanting to look into it a bit more, I'd recommend that you obtain books by noted poker authors. This is merely my interpretation and is hopefully going to help you or at least put you on the right track to recognizing what hands you can or should be playing from various positions. Oh and another thing (I'll quit whining soon I promise :)), as with most things in life, the guide above is not a recipe for success - it can only be done in conjunction with the information you have gathered from your opponents and making the best decision, after all, that's what poker is about: using the information you've gained to make the correct decision (even if you don't win the hand - in the long run you'll be smiling). That's it from me folks. Until next time, I wish you good cards, good poker and that your opponents are plagued by 7 2 offsuit.