PokerBug: playing in position

Showing posts with label playing in position. Show all posts

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Bug's Poker Tip #44

Position is Good For You

Playing in position is a lot like drinking water. Or eating vegetables. Or taking a daily multi-vitamin. Even if you don't know why doing so is good for you, it is in fact still good for you. Even if you don't consciously recognize that you are obtaining valuable information when in position, and that doing so in fact is helping you make better decisions, you still are obtaining that information and making better decisions. Even if you don't actively appreciate that playing in position helps you control the pot size, it still does, regardless. And even if you don't recognize that having position makes bluffing easier, it still does. Position is good for you, whether you realize it or not.

Playing in position helps a ~~body~~ stack grow, so eat those vegetables!

All-in for now...

-Bug

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Bug's Poker Tip #43

Look For a Reason To Fold Out of Position

(and Look For a Reason to Play In Position)

When deciding whether to play a hand preflop or not, one of the key things you should consider is whether you'll be out of position (OOP) or in position (IP) after the flop is dealt. Said simply, you should strive to play very few hands OOP. There really is no excuse to play marginal hands when you'll be the first to act postflop. When in doubt in EP or in the blinds, just fold. Your bankroll will thank you.

But just as importantly, you should try to play a lot of hands IP. Probably more than you think you should, in fact. Position is a big deal, and it offsets a significant amount of pot inequity. As Dave Tuchman said on a recent Bart Hanson podcast: "I'm always looking for a reason to fold out of position. But I'm also looking for any excuse to play in position."

Poker is a game of maximizing the effect of small edges, and getting to act after your opponent does affords you a very significant edge over said opponent. Don't fight an uphill battle when you don't have to. Just fold OOP... and try to play IP.

In other words, spend time looking for those reasons....

All-in for now...

-Bug

Monday, November 11, 2013

Position = Information, Part 2

Here's basically the same hand that I showed in the previous post (here), except now we have the pair of sevens in late position, and we get to see what six of the other eight players think of their hands prior to us acting preflop:

We're not getting correct implied odds to call for set-mining when the action gets to us. Also, if we did decide to call, there is no guarantee that the UTG Villain #1 would not re-open the raising, which would cost us even more. Position gives us the information we need to make a good, safe, zero-cost fold in the hand.

No, this is not a super sexy hand example... but it's a super important concept to understand. Imagine which hands you would call here on the button given the upstream action? KJ? Nope. KQ? Nope. JJ? No, not unless we're willing to get it in if/when Villain #1 4bets. How about QQ? Tougher one, but probably a call/fold line is appropriate if the villain's are ABC. Suited connectors? No way....

...and so on....

Position gives us power to make solid decisions, and sometimes those decisions are just "Run away, run away!" Remember, folding is exactly zero EV, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Zero is almost always a better number than a negative one in poker...

All-in for now...
-Bug

And here's the hand history for those that can't see the video on their mobile device:

Hand Information

Game: Cash
Blind:	$1/ $2
Hand History converter courtesy of pokerhandreplays.com

Table Information

Seat1:	seat 1	($200)	Small Blind
Seat2:	seat 2	($200)	Big Blind
Seat3:	villain #1	($200)
Seat4:	seat 4	($200)
Seat5:	seat 5	($200)
Seat6:	seat 6	($200)
Seat7:	seat 7	($200)
Seat8:	seat 8	($200)
Seat9:	seat 9	($200)	Dealer