In real estate, it’s all about location, location, location.  In poker, there’s a similar adage that says it’s all about position, position, position.  If you’[re not taking your position at the table into account when playing Texas Hold ‘em, you’re likely playing hands that you should have folded.

At a full table of 10 players, position is divided into four categories before the flop.  There is early position, middle position, late position and the blinds.  Players sitting in the three seats to the left of the blinds are said to be in early positions.  The three seats to the left of the early positions are the middle positions.  The two seats to the left of the middle positions are the late positions.  The blinds, of course, refer to the small and big blind positions.

The number one rule when it comes to position is the later your position at the table, the more hands you can play pre-flop.  This all has to do with information.  When you’re playing poker, the more information you have, the better decision you are able to make.  If you knew what cards everyone else at the table has, you would have so much information you would never lost a hand at the showdown.

When you’re trying to decide whether you should play your cards or fold, the earlier your position at the table the less information you have.  because of this, you should only play premium cards from an early position.  Think of it this way: you can call the big blind with anything in an early position, but there are at least seven more players to act behind you.  Are your cards good enough to call if one of them raises?  If they are not, you have basically given away some of your chips.  In an early position, you are vulnerable to raises throughout the entire hand.

If you’re in a middle position, you have seen more players bet or fold, and there are fewer players to act behind you.  This means you can play lower-valued hands because you have more information on how the hand is going.

In a late position, your list of playable hands has increased even more.  At one of the late seats, only the blinds are left to play after you.  You have seen almost the entire table play, and you should have a better sense as to who may have good cards.  You will also be in a late position in every betting round that follows, which allows you to react to how your opponents play the hand the rest of the way.

Late position is also a strong seat at the table because it is generally believed to be the best seat from which to attempt a bluff or attempt to steal the blinds.  With only the blinds left to act, you can more easily attempt to steal the blinds or attempt a bluff later in the hand because you’ve seen the rest of the table play their cards.  Pulling off successful bluffs or blind steals requires information on the rest of the table, and you always have the most information from a late position.  Bluffing or attempting to steal the blinds from an early position or a middle position can be dangerous because there are so many players left to act that can call your bluff or break up your attempt at a blind steal.