subject: Does Table Position Matter in Poker? [print this page] Poker is without question a true game of strategy and nerve, and, when taking seating position into account, it would obviously make your life as a poker player and gambler that much easier if you were able to sit in such a position as to be able to see everyone else's cards. Of course, the more information that you are able to glean about your opponents' hands, the better chance you have of making intelligent playing and betting decisions. This is a bit of a fantasy, but a decent position can indeed afford you certain information regarding the hands of opponents' that must play their hands or otherwise act prior to you. As a result, whoever is the last one to act in the game has that much more information regarding everyone else at the table, whilst the player that leads off knows nothing. Thus, the maxim on poker positioning at the table could be expressed as positioning is power. There are various different positions in poker and, as the factor holds such importance, each has a different name and explanation. The first is 'button' position, which indicates the person who is dealing. In most casinos now, the position is normally a big white plastic disc, and, since the action in the game starts with whoever sits to the side of the dealer, the dealer always holds the best position in the majority of games, as in Draw games and post-flop Hold em. The next position to think about is called 'under the gun', and the person in this position is the first player to act in the game. The name is thought to originate from the draw games of the West; when a six-shooter marked the deal; whoever was 'under the gun' was the person who the dealer was aiming their gun at (for dealers who were right-handed,) or else the player to his left. As explained earlier, this position is the worst going at the table. Next is the small blind position, which, in Hold em as well as other blind betting games, refers to whoever sits to the left of the Dealer. In Hold em pre-flop, it is the penultimate position, but is first position in later rounds. The Big Blind position is the player seated two seats to the left side of the dealer. In Hold em, this position is the very last to play pre-flop. Post-flop, the person seated here acts second, which is not a good position at all, as it compels the player to place a blind bet prior to the cards even being dealt. These two 'blind' positions are traditional, norm positions, but they are not mandatory and can be changed on mutual agreement. The 'Cutoff' position is the seat to the right of the dealer. In a Hold em game, in the event that the table folds all the way around, whomever is the cutoff player is able to bet, thereby nullifying, (cutting off,) the ability of the dealer to steal whatever blinds may be up for grabs.
