The right seat at the poker table.
Is it important to choose the right position when you play poker? Do you spend time on choosing the right seat at the poker table? For sure, it is an important aspect. And it is often ignored by many players.
To select a right position is one of the most important aspects you should consider in a poker game, especially if you’re playing Texas Hold’em poker, because your location remains fixed for the whole game round. And, for example, in 7-card stud a game position often depends on the cards and on poker hands order.
But of course, a choice of poker game remains more significant decision, as well as the choice of a card to enter a hand. The place selection at poker tables is often only third important decision.
The choice of game, of course, assumes the choice of games which are available for you. The best poker sites offer more than one game and to choose a right game is a question of a serious reflection and it takes time.
You shouldn’t disregard your opponents’ manner of game, because your winnings depend more on mistakes of other players than on your own poker skills and clever play. So, even you were the world best poker gambler, sitting at the same poker table with even good players, you would win less money than playing with obviously inferior players.
If you have already selected the best game for you or if there is no much choice, you can go to the step 2 and decide which card will enter the hand. The correct choice of starting hands is also very important, and you can find million advice on this subject. You should know, that without a good and efficient strategy guiding you whether to call or to pass, you have very little chances to win, regardless of all your poker skills.
What about the seat selection at poker tables, we always recommend to find a player, who raises every pot, so-called maniac. When you see such a maniac at poker table, choose a seat left to the maniac’s, so that you will act after he or she does. And if you have a good hand, maniac will raise and you can make it three bets. Because players will hardly raise three times if they don’t have a considerable hand. In fact, if you position yourself to act after the player who raises constantly, and you get a good hand, he or she tends to raise, you should reduce your standards a bit and play with him or her, as long as you re-raise with hands that are better than his or her.
Some players prefer to have maniac on their left, but we should disagree. As we know, money flows clockwise, like a hard wind, around the table. That’s why it’s surely preferably to act later than before – simply because it provides additional information about opponents’ hands. Early position demands to a player to act without any information of the real or perceived hand strength of his opponents.
When you act the last – after every player has had a possibility to check, bet, or fold, call or raise – you are receiving information about your opponents’ real or represented hand strength, which should be used to guide your own decision. If it was really an advantage to act earlier, most players won’t at any way be on the button.
It will be wisely to sit with timid, tight, easy to bluff people on your left and skilled, aggressive players, as well as those who have a lot of chips, – on your right.