Co Poker Position

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In the third lesson of the 'From Zero to Poker Hero' free poker course you will learn about the positions in poker. 'From Zero to Poker Hero' free poker cour. In a 10-player Texas Holdem poker game, your poker position may be early position (EP), middle position(MP), or late position (LP). ' Early Position ' means the first four seats left of the dealer. These poker positins are considered the worst seats at a poker table. Poker is an informational game and the person that gets to act last has more information than everyone else. I wrote a detailed article on position; check it out for more details. What Is the Best Position at a Poker Table? Since we have established that acting last is most advantageous in poker, the Button would be the best seat at the table. The seats nearest to the are called early position or EP for short. The seats nearest to the right of the button are called late position or LP for short. The seats in between these will be called middle position or MP. Poker table position diagram.


Sometimes players are so obsessed with their button play that they forget that the CO is also an extremely profitable situation at the table when played correctly. If we can get our CO winrate to around 20bb/100 we are doing very well.
Unlike the button, we are not guaranteed position when we open raise. The button is in a very powerful position and can 3bet us aggressively knowing that he will always have position postflop. For this reason we should be playing a significantly tighter range from the cut-off than we do the button. In some scenarios the button is overly tight however, and in extreme cases we can treat the cut-off more or less like a second button.

CO – Raise First In Ranges

The raise first in range here represents 26% of all starting hands. This is significantly tighter than the button where we routinely open about 48% of starting hands. Anywhere between 2.2bb and 3bb can be used as our standard open raise sizing. It doesn't make too much difference which sizing we pick, but the smaller we open, the larger the amount of hands we can open in theory. A smaller open sizing also makes it a little easier to deal with aggressive 3betters either on the BTN or in the blinds.

CO – Defending Against Opens

In many cases a 3bet from the CO will shut down action from the BTN and blinds assuming they don't hold a premium. 3betting can be a good strategy since we will often take the pot down preflop or end up heads-up in position postflop.
We should still 3bet tighter from the CO than the BTN however for 2 reasons.
Co position in poker
  1. We have 3 players to act behind us rather than 2. Even if these players are passive there is a slightly higher chance that one of them will wake up with a premium holding.
  2. Our 3bets will be against MP and UTG who will typically have a strong opening range. When on the BTN we will also be able to target the CO's opening range which is relatively weaker than opens from early or middle position.
Similar principles apply to cold-calling. We have a reasonable shot at acquiring position, but ultimately it is significantly less likely than a situation where we are on the BTN and are guaranteed to have postflop position whatever happens.

CO vs MP

  • Light-Red – 3bet for value
  • Dark-Red – 3bet as a bluff
  • Dark-Blue – Cold-call
  • Light-Green – Mix strategy, sometimes 3bet, sometimes cold-call

CO vs UTG

Notice that when playing against UTG, our defending ranges are a little tighter, but not significantly so. There won't be a huge difference between the two scenarios. The average UTG player opens 14% of hands while the average open-raising range from MP is 18%.

The reason we cold-call only 55+ is because we have 3 players behind who may decide to squeeze. Assuming we are on the BTN we will defend all pocket-pairs regardless of the position of the opener.
The mixed hands can be approached with roughly a 50/50 ratio. So assuming we are in the CO and face an MP open while holding AKs, we can sometimes 3bet, sometimes cold-call. The reason we play like this is that typically 3betting will have a higher expectation than cold-calling. Assuming we 3bet all of the hands in light green however, we might open ourselves up to exploitation. Against extremely passive opposition we would likely get away with 3betting all of the hands in light-green with 100% frequency.

Defending Against 3bets

There are 3 possible players who can 3bet against us, BTN, SB, and BB. Our defending ranges might look as follows.
This scenario is when we face a 3bet from either of the blinds. Our defending strategy will be somewhat similar in both scenarios.
  • Light Red – 4bet for value
  • Dark Blue – Flat call, play IP
  • Dark Red – 4bet bluff

Notice again that there is not a huge difference between the 2 defending ranges. We should generally defend a little tigher when OOP vs a BTN 3bet, but keep in mind that the BTN's 3betting range is often wider than that of the blinds, so we don't need to defend too much tighter.
Some of the hands around the edge of the flatting range OOP, KQo, AJo, KJs, 9Ts, JTs, might be a little marginal as flats,so it really depends on the opponent to an extent. In lower limit games it's fine to defend a range a little tighter than the one outlined.

Overcalling/Squeezing

This situation won't happen overly frequently as we specifically need UTG to open and MP to cold-call. We can typically overcall a little bit wider than we would normally cold-call assuming we were facing a regular UTG open.
Light red – Always Squeeze
Dark-Blue – Overcall

Co Position In Poker

Seeing as there is a chance that we get squeezed by the button if we simply overcall, our overcalling will be noticeably tighter than the button overcalling range when facing an open and a call.

Sizings

The cold-calling/overcalling/squeezing ranges have been designed with a 3x open-raise in mind. These should be adjusted significantly based on variations in the size of the open. Vs a smaller raise we defend noticeably wider, while vs a larger raise we defend noticeably tighter.
As such these ranges should be used as a rough guide and should be deviated from based on the sizing we face and the type of opponents we play against. Some of the hands will also perform better or worse based on the effective stacks. Generally speculative hands do poorly when the stack sizes are shallow, but play well when the stack sizes are deep. TPTK type hands such as AQ do better when the stacks are shallow and perform less well when the stacks are deep.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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This lesson assumes that you have a solid grasp of all the fundamental concepts involved in poker. Of these concepts, understanding position is arguably the most important because you are able to make decisions after you've gathered information from your opponent(s). As you progress and develop as a poker player, some of the largest gains in improving your game will come from increasing confidence playing position. It's easy to play your strong hands, but it's the ability to use position and play poker regardless of the strength of your hand which separates the good poker players from the great ones.

Keep in mind that in any poker game, you must play the tendencies of your opponents first. Making a move in position is irrelevant if the person you are playing with isn't capable of putting you on a hand. Having said that, the concepts addressed in this lesson assume your opponent is at least capable of second level thinking – which is to say that in addition to his own cards, he's also thinking about what you were dealt.

Pre-Flop Concepts

We'll start by looking at some poker strategies and tactics that can be employed pre-flop by using the power of position. Be aware that one or two of the strategies that follow are more focused on tournament poker than cash games due to the increased emphasis on pre-flop action.

Buying Position

Irrespective of the poker variant or format, it's common knowledge that leaning toward the side of aggression is more profitable in the long-run. One way to use aggression is to buy position. Let's say one or two players have limped in ahead of you and you hold a hand like AJ, KQ or 77 in middle position. Depending on stack sizes and your reads you can certainly make an argument for calling, folding or raising. However, by calling you will often induce others to limp behind you, giving up position, and now you are forced to play based solely on whether you connect on the flop or not. By raising, you can force the players behind you to fold and you have now bought position after the flop.

Re-Stealing in Position

Many players re-steal from the blinds after someone in late position raises. This is most common in tournament poker. Players frequently re-steal from the blinds because they assume the late position player is stealing and cannot stand a re-raise. However, re-stealing has become more common from the blinds and people's games are adjusting to steal from earlier positions such as the hi-jack and middle position so they give the appearance of having a bigger hand. This is where having position comes in. By re-raising from the button or cut-off position, it looks like a very strong hand. It puts significant pressure on the blinds and they will often fold a hand as strong as AQ and mid pocket-pairs. In addition, it also tells the original raiser that you have a real hand. Again, this goes back to reading your opponents. Don't re-steal against the tightest player at the table or someone whose raise has committed them to the hand. Pick your spots versus opponents who are aggressive, have a wide range pre-flop and are capable of folding to a re-raise.

Implied Odds + Outplaying Your Opponent

Another benefit of having position is being able to get into pots with hands that have heavy implied odds against a pre-flop raiser. These might be suited middle connectors, small pocket pairs or low suited connectors like . Top 5 texas holdem tips. In these cases, you are calling a raise in position because it gives you multiple ways to win the pot. If you hit your hand, it will likely be well disguised and you can win a big pot. But more importantly, it also gives you the chance to outplay your opponent if you do miss your hand because you can make your play based on observing their actions first.

Freezing

Freezing isn't necessarily a poker play; it is simply another benefit of having position. By calling your opponents raise when you are in position it can freeze them in the hand. Their intention was to steal the blinds and now that you've called, they are going to proceed with caution. Calling the raise from an opponent who often raises in middle or late position can have both short term and long term benefits. In the short-term, they may put the brakes on and allow you to take down the pot post-flop. The long-term implication of this is that it sets a tone at the table that if they come in raising, they will have a fight on their hands, thus deterring them from stealing.

Co Poker Positions

Squeeze Play

A squeeze play occurs when an aggressive player opens the pot, someone calls them in position and another player (often in the blinds) re-raises. A squeeze play is most effective when the original raiser has a loose range, the caller tends to be passive and the stack sizes involved do not commit the other players. Aspers casino northampton poker. The re-raise puts pressure on the original raiser because he's not sure what the middle player is going to do and you are effectively 'squeezing' the middle player. If the middle player had a very strong hand, he would have re-raised in the first place. Caution: squeeze plays should be used sparingly and rarely at low buy-ins. In low buy-in poker games, the middle player will call very often because they feel committed to the hand and feel the need to 'look you up'. Make sure you have a good read on both players to maximize the effectiveness of this poker play.

Inducing a Squeeze Play

In certain situations, you can use position pre-flop to trap your opponents into thinking you are not strong. Ever since 'Harrington on Hold'em' described the squeeze play people have added this into their poker arsenal. Because of this, you can use position to trap aggressive players in the blinds by calling a raise with a big pair such as KK or AA, inducing the player to re-raise over top. Use this play with caution, however, as the big blind will be getting good odds to enter the pot.

Post-Flop Concepts

We'll now look at some of the key concepts of using position post-flop. These strategies and tactis are suitable for both tournament poker and cash games.

Floating

Floating refers to calling a flop or turn bet when in position in order to take the pot down on the next street, and is used in three primary situations:

  • Pot Control
  • Bluffing
  • Trapping

Let's start with pot control. Suppose you call a raise in position with a mid-pocket pair such as 88 and the flop comes A64. Your opponent may or may not have an Ace, but they are betting the flop regardless. By calling here, many opponents will shut down on the turn for fear that you have an Ace. You can certainly raise here to see where you stand, but depending on your stack size, calling may be better so that you control the size of the pot.

Using the float play to bluff can be effective when you know that you are up against an aggressive player who almost always makes a continuation bet. You can call the flop with a wide variety of hands in order to read how your opponent reacts on the turn. Floating for this purpose becomes even more powerful if there is an obvious draw on the board, since you can represent the hand if it hits.

This same tactic can also be used to set a trap. Let's say you flop a set or some other strong hand and you are up against an aggressive player who is capable of firing on the turn. While raising the flop might sometimes be the better play depending on your opponent; just calling the flop can make your opponent think you are weak (i.e. floating with a mid pocket pair) and cause them to bet the turn strongly.

Raising Continuation Bets

Just as you might float versus an opponent who you think might be making a continuation bet, you can also mix up your game and raise the flop as well. In this case, the assumption is that we have also missed the flop and are bluffing in hopes of getting our opponent to fold. Having position affords you the ability to read if your opponent is making a continuation bet based on his bet sizing and the texture of the flop.

Raising Probe Bets

You can also use the power of position against a player who bets out from the blinds. A player will often catch a piece of the flop or have called a raise from the blinds with a pocket pair and will place a small bet on the flop to 'see where they are at'. Position affords you the ability to tell them exactly where they are – behind (or at least this is what we want them to think). This play is most effective if you originally raised pre-flop because you are continuing to represent a strong hand.

Conclusion

There are many ways to use position to your advantage. Poker players, for the most part, are acutely aware of the value of position but many squander it unless they believe they have a worthy hand to play. Position should be used as a weapon and only squandered when it appears hopeless to become involved. Position is a strong factor and when you possess it, all things become easier.

The concepts explained in this lesson are really just the tip of the iceberg. The only way to improve at poker is to trust your instincts and put yourself in situations where you can use position to your advantage. Once you have successfully made plays by using your position (and not relying on the strength of your cards) your confidence will grow and your ability to outplay your opponents will skyrocket.

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By Donovan Panone

Donovan started playing poker in 2004 and is an experienced tournament and cash game player who has a passion for teaching and helping others improve their game.

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