The best players insist that “position is everything” in online poker. The statement is true, as every smart player would use their place to their advantage, especially when pulling off a bluffing. Nonetheless, the question needs some digging. Why is position so crucial? And how do you eventually use it? Read in this guide.
Understanding Positions: A Beginner’s Guide
Your position in poker tells you when to play. So, you will always fall into three placings, including:
- Early
- Middle
- Late
Now, each place has its power and influence. For instance, it significantly affects player decisions, including when to bet, raise, fold, or call.
At this point, we must reveal the truth: players in later positions are often best placed. They have a strategic viewpoint regarding all the hand actions, so they gain a clear advantage over other players.
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Why Position Is More Important in Online Poker Than Live Poker
There is a stark difference between playing poker online and in a real casino. Poker players around physical tables employ multiple strategies overall. For example, they observe more facial cues and timing between decisions. So, there is a lot of body-language reading going on aside from placing.
However, online poker offers limited reading opportunities, especially when the outcome depends on random number generators (RNG). Obviously, every poker player aware of the fact wants to play in the late position. This way, they can observe every other player and make the best decisions, thus leading to profitable outcomes.
Best Hands to Play
Your flexibility in delivering a starting hand should depend on your place around the board. In short, the later it is, the more flexible you can be. Let’s discuss each option in more detail.
- Your options are significantly limited in an early position. It’s when you will have less information to process; hence, you can not afford to play just any hand. So, your best option will be to play the strongest hands, including pairs and high-suited aces.
- Mid-positioning comes with more flexibility than being early. Now, you can gather more intel on your opponents and their intentions. You can explore pairs, suited connectors, and broadway hands.
- Saving the best for last — the late place. This one is the best yet. You can cast your net far and wide and explore even weaker hands like small pairs. At this stage, you already know all you need about the other players, so you can always play hands like all pairs, suited connectors, or broadway cards.
How to Exploit Late Position in Online Poker
Later places are great because you can make moves you would not dare to pull in earlier positions. Here are ways you can exploit being in later places when playing online poker:
- One way to go is by playing speculative hands, such as small pairs. However, you should do this only if you know your opponents have weaker hands.
- Bluffing is most effective when pulled off in late positions. You had the time to study your opponents and now have enough information about them. If they appear weak, you can go full bluff.
- You can be the pot controller, depending on how strong your hand is. You can check or call to keep the pot small for marginal hands. However, stronger hands let you bet or raise to increase the pot value.
- Executing the float strategy comes around nicely when you bet last. Floating is a bluff technique, which means calling a bet late to steal the pot later if an opponent appears weak.
A Bonus: Position-Based Bluffing
When in an early position, you may avoid bluffing altogether. You can otherwise pull semi-bluffs using hands with outs, such as flush or straight draws.
In the middle stage, you must have seen quite some actions from your opponents. You should identify and target weak players at this stage. Identify opportunities to bluff players who fold easily when possessing weak hands.
The late position, however, is the best stage for pulling off aggressive bluffs. Raise or bet at this stage to knock out players showing weakness. Call with a weaker hand to execute the floating technique against weak opponents.