A limp-reraise is a commonly used option in this case. The player in early position limps with his kings and waits for another player to raise. When the action comes back around, he then makes a large reraise. The problem with this technique is it's only effective against very loose or reckless opponents. Early position identifies the first three 3 seats to the immediate left of the dealer. (Remember, the two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and big blind and must place their bet before the cards are dealt. During the Pre-Flop round, the small blind and big blind are the last to act. Early position play in Texas holdem is one of the biggest weaknesses that most players struggle with. The same problems are found in limit and no limit play. And they all start with playing too many weak hands. Early position includes the first two spots to the left of the big blind at full tables.
All about position in Texas Hold'em
Texas Holdem Early Position Strategy
You've probably heard 'position' come up frequently in how-to guides, but what does it mean?
Simply put, position in poker refers to where you sit at a table relative to the Dealer Button. Seat 1 is directly to the left of the Dealer Button. Seat numbers are sequential and move in a clockwise direction. Position determines the dealing and betting order in each orbit.
During a game of poker, the seat you are in may be considered Early position, Middle position or Late position. Late positions are always the best positions to be in as you get to act after other players have acted (call, raise, fold) on their hands.
With each hand, your position is determined by where the Dealer button is located. Since it moves in a clockwise direction to a new player after each hand, your position always changes after every hand. Over the course of the game, each player will get multiple chances to play from the various positions.
Early Position
Early position identifies the first three 3 seats to the immediate left of the dealer. (Remember, the two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and big blind and must place their bet before the cards are dealt. During the Pre-Flop round, the small blind and big blind are the last to act. In subsequent rounds, they will be the first to act.) The player to the left of the big blinds is said to be 'under the gun.' These three seats are considered the worst positions as players in these positions are the first to act in the betting round.
Middle Position
On Replay's 9-player tables, Middle position includes seats 4 through 6. These seats are more advantageous than the Early position seats, but not as advantageous as being in the late position. Players in the middle position get to know how the first few players have played their hands.
Late Position
The player designated by the dealer button (dealer position) and the two players to his/her immediate right are said to be in the late position. Being on the dealer button is the best position to be playing from in a hand.
Texas Holdem Early Position Strategy
You've probably heard 'position' come up frequently in how-to guides, but what does it mean?
Simply put, position in poker refers to where you sit at a table relative to the Dealer Button. Seat 1 is directly to the left of the Dealer Button. Seat numbers are sequential and move in a clockwise direction. Position determines the dealing and betting order in each orbit.
During a game of poker, the seat you are in may be considered Early position, Middle position or Late position. Late positions are always the best positions to be in as you get to act after other players have acted (call, raise, fold) on their hands.
With each hand, your position is determined by where the Dealer button is located. Since it moves in a clockwise direction to a new player after each hand, your position always changes after every hand. Over the course of the game, each player will get multiple chances to play from the various positions.
Early Position
Early position identifies the first three 3 seats to the immediate left of the dealer. (Remember, the two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and big blind and must place their bet before the cards are dealt. During the Pre-Flop round, the small blind and big blind are the last to act. In subsequent rounds, they will be the first to act.) The player to the left of the big blinds is said to be 'under the gun.' These three seats are considered the worst positions as players in these positions are the first to act in the betting round.
Middle Position
On Replay's 9-player tables, Middle position includes seats 4 through 6. These seats are more advantageous than the Early position seats, but not as advantageous as being in the late position. Players in the middle position get to know how the first few players have played their hands.
Late Position
The player designated by the dealer button (dealer position) and the two players to his/her immediate right are said to be in the late position. Being on the dealer button is the best position to be playing from in a hand.
Players in the late position are the last to act, and they can see how the other players have played their hands. The information you gain from being in the late position allows you to play weaker starting hands or even fold strong hands like JJ or AQ.
Ultimately your decision to bet, raise or fold will be determined by the strength of your hole cards. During the early stages of learning to play Texas Hold'em, it is best to play only when you have Premium Starting Hands.
One of the first and most important things to learn when playing Texas Hold'em is which starting hands are worth staying in with -- and which you should fold. Deciding whether or not those two down cards you're first dealt are playable is the most important decision in every hand because while you have to be in it to win it, you also can't lose money you haven't bet.
Since the two hole or pocket cards are the only things that will make your hand better or worse than any other players, it's important that they are good strong cards.
If you're new to Hold'em, begin by learning these two lists:
And play only the cards in the 10 best list and always fold the hands in the worst hands list. Doing this alone will improve your results.
But to really succeed as a good Hold'em player, you need to vary your starting hand selection standards depending on your poker position. Read more about understanding poker position if it's a new concept to you. It's important because you need to tighten up your standards in early position (such as the blinds) and can loosen up your standards in late postion (such as sitting on the button).
Here's a quick guide to what Hold'em starting hands to play in different positions:
In early position, only play:
Texas Holdem Early Position Drills
- High Pairs: Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack
- High Suited Cards: Ace-King, Ace-Queen, King-Queen, Ace-Jack, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10
- High Unsuited Cards: Ace-King, Ace-Queen, King-Queen
In middle position, you can also play:
- High Suited Cards: Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10
- High Unsuited Cards: Ace-Jack, Ace-10, King-Jack, etc.
- Middle Pairs: 10-10, 9-9, 8-8
In late position you can add:
- Suited connectors, such as 9-10, 7-8, etc.
- Small pairs all the way down to 2s
- Ace-littles: A-8, A-6
Now, this is not an absolute guide. Just because I say you can play ace-little in late position, that doesn't mean you always should. Almost none of the hands that I added for a middle or late position should be played if there is a large raise before you get to act, and definitely should be tossed if there are two raises in front of you. The reason the hands are more playable in later positions is precise because you'll have more information about what the other players are going to do, and if everyone's just calling or folding, there's a better chance that one of the second-best hands above is the best hand at the table.
All that said, this is a rough guide, and it also helps to be able to read the most basic of poker tells and pay attention to the other players playing styles (are they tight? loose? etc.) so you can guess what hands you might be up against. Still, if you stick to this what-to-hold and what-to-fold guide, your poker profits should grow.