Betting Position in Holdem Poker
Betting position is a huge part of strategy when playing poker: depending on what order you bet in, the same hand could be a great or terrible one.
Take a pocket pair of two’s, for example. If I was the first to act, I’d be much more likely to fold this hand. If I put down the big blind, someone who acts after me might have a decent pocket hand and raise me, and a pair of 2’s is not something you want to bet a lot of money on.
On the other hand, if I’m the last to act, I can place my bet a bit more confident that I’m less likely to be raised, and I have an idea of what the others are holding based on what they bet.
With a marginal poker hand like a low pocket pair, it may be worth it to risk a blind on the chance that a third (or fourth!) 2 will come out on the flop. Since it is such a slim chance, however, the closer you are to being the last to act, the safer you are to bet. And that’s a pretty incredible feeling to have when you’re playing poker.
