|
The button and seats near to the right of the button are the best positions in a no limit Texas Hold em hand. The players in these seats are referred to as being in 'late position', and have the valuable advantage of being the last players to act in the hand. In fact, these seats are so advantageous that the value of your position can often outweigh the strength of the hand that you are playing. So be sure to use this Texas Hold'em guide to help you get the most from the hands you play from late position.
Having the opportunity to see how your opponents act before deciding on your play creates many opportunities for you in a hand. With all the extra information that you are getting from your opponent, you are able to make a better judgement on whether to bet, check, call, raise or fold on every betting round. So take note of when you find yourself on the button or just to the right of the button.
Because these seats are so valuable, it makes them the most profitable, with the button almost always being the most advantageous and profitable seat in a hand. Therefore it is recommended that within reason, a player should look to open up their starting hand requirements to be able to get in on the action and make full use of their position in the hand.
Now this does not mean that you should be calling and raising with any old junk just because you are in late position. Instead, you should feel more comfortable playing hands like AJ, AT, KQ, KJ and middle pocket pairs if there has been little to no action before you. This is because even though these are far from being the strongest hands in the game, your great position at the table does more than enough to compensate for their slight weaknesses.
If there has been a strong raise before you before the flop, you should tighten up your starting hand requirements and avoid playing the lower range of hands that you might have considered playing if there was no action before you. Having position is great, but you don't want to throw too much caution to the wind by entering a pot with a raggy hand. So use your head and wait for the better opportunities; you should not feel compelled to play a hand just because of your position.
The next time you sit down for a poker session, you should really try and take into account when you are in late position and start playing a lot more hands from this position. You may well be pleasantly surprised at how well you fair against your opponents when compared to the times you play hands from early or mid position. Just remember that having good position requires you to have good post-flop play, so make sure you practice your post-flop skills to really get the most from having the opportunity to act after your opponents.
|
