Playing Late Position in Poker

Poker position can help a player immensely when it comes to Poker playing strategy. Of course a good Poker hand helps, but if you are lucky enough to land the last turn and, on top of it all, you know how to adapt your play to the Poker position, you have got it made.

Why is playing in the late position in Poker so relevant in winning? For starters, you know what the other players did before you and can make betting decisions accordingly, like raising or calling. It all adds up to how good a Poker hand you have, how good a bluffer you are and how good the other Poker players are in giving you the appropriate responses.

Of course you are not going to get good Poker every time you play in the last position. Here are the keys to working your way out according to what you have got:

Playing late position with a fair hand

If you are playing Poker in the late position with a fair hand, you can safely call after the first player bets, not having to fear a raise. If you were playing a fair hand in early or mid Poker positions, you might lose your hand (in the best case scenario, you would have to pay a high sum to proceed after a raise) due to calls from other fair hands.

Playing late position with a good hand

If you are playing in the late position with a good hand, you have the cherry on top of the cake! Now that your adversaries have placed their bets, it is up to you to decide whether it is tactically wise and profitable to raise their bets - thus throwing some player(s) out of the game, or to call them.

Should you be blessed with a winning hand but put in the early Poker position, you would be tempted to check-raise - which could turn the blessing into a curse, for you would be almost certain to lose some calls and end up giving a free card on a gold platter to non-callers instead.

Playing Poker in the late position, you choose to bet (or raise if someone has already done so), to bluff or to slowplay, because you now know how many of your opponents are likely to keep the game for the sake of the pot.

Playing late position with a bad hand

This may seem like the gods are having their way with you. However, if you are playing late position in Poker with a bad hand, being the last is particularly advantageous. Your opponents may check for better hands than yours, granting you the opportunity to check after them and thus get a free card, a gift not to be despised in this case, because you would not have got it playing in earlier Poker positions.

Only one thing may endanger a player who is playing late position in Poker: the possibility of someone making a check-raise. If someone passes their betting turn, the bets may raise. Nevertheless, some Poker variations do not allow check-raising, so you should always consult which version you are playing when you go to a Poker session or play in an online casino.

Michael Orwell - Editorial Board