No Limit Texas Holdem: Late Poker Position

No Limit Poker, Table Position
September 23 2008

When you’re sitting in late position in a game of No Limit Holdem, you’re sitting in the best seat at the table. Sitting here allows you to play more starting hands than any other position at the table, and allows you to play much looser than in an early or middle position. The obvious reason is because you are one of the last players to act, if not the last player outright.

This gives you more information than any other seat and should help you figure out who’s got a strong hand and how your hand might compare. You also don’t have to worry about a number of players acting after you, which reduces the chances of a raise behind you in every betting round of the hand.

Playing in a late position opens up more playable hands than any other seat at the table, and to help you figure out what to play and what to fold, you usually want to follow these simple rules:

Do not play cards that are...

1. Not suited
2. Not pairs
3. Not connected
4. Gapped by more than three cards

The fourth rule refers to a starting hand like 5-10 or 7-2. There are more than three cards between 5-10 and 7-2, leaving you without a straight draw. Both hands are also bad cards to make a pair with and have lousy kickers when you do pair the board.

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