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Position and why it matters

Why acting last beats acting first, with a few short examples.

TL;DR

Position is where you act relative to the dealer button. Acting later means you see everyone else's decision first, so you can play more hands profitably from late position than from early position — the single biggest structural edge in the game.

Position is where you sit relative to the dealer button, and it's one of the biggest edges in poker — bigger than most beginners expect.

Why acting last is better

The later you act in a betting round, the more information you have. Everyone who acts before you has already shown you something — a fold, a call, a raise — before you have to decide anything. Acting first, you're guessing. Acting last, you're reacting to real information.

Tip

The button (the dealer position) is the single best seat at the table: it acts last on every street after the flop, every single hand.

The rough groups

  • Early position — you act first or close to it. You have the least information, so this is where you should play the fewest, strongest hands.
  • Middle position — a bit more room to play a wider set of hands, since fewer players are left to act behind you.
  • Late position (cutoff and button) — you act last or close to it. This is where you can profitably play more hands, because you'll see what everyone else does first.

A simple example

Say you're holding a decent-but-not-great hand. From early position, you have no idea what the five players behind you are going to do — any of them could wake up with a monster. From the button, you've already watched everyone else act. If they've all folded, your same hand is now a clear favorite to win the blinds outright. If someone's raised, you get to make an informed call or fold instead of a blind guess.

What this means at the table

You don't need to calculate anything — just notice where the dealer button is relative to you each hand. The closer you are to acting last, the more hands you can profitably play. The closer you are to acting first, the tighter you should play.

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