Play The Boys History

You are also in a better position to control the aggressive player and indeed to trap him into mistakes. Similarly, if there are players in the game who tip off whether or not they are playing a hand, you’d like them to your left so you can use that information when deciding whether to call the first bet yourself.

 

That opponent bets, two or three players ahead of you call, and now bang, you raise. Position is important in relation to the playing style of the other players in the game. You prefer having the loose, aggressive player in the game sitting to your right and the tight, conservative player to your left. Then you can usually decide how to play your hand after the aggressive player has acted, while you don’t have to worry about many surprises from the conservative player behind you.

 

My bad position is what makes the difference. It changes things enough on future rounds to turn a call into a fold. If I were to flop three 6s in last position, that 6 on board would look pretty innocuous. The original bettor would probably bet again, maybe get called, and then I could put in a big raise — or perhaps slow play and wait to raise on fourth street.