POSITION

The order in which each player acts in Texas Hold `Em is determined by the position of the dealer, or player representing the dealer, indicated by the dealer button. After each hand the button is passed clockwise around the table, which means that your position relative to the rest of the table, is constantly changing. The later you act, the greater your advantage in the hand. This is because you get to see what other players have done, before you have to commit any of your chips to the pot. The strongest position to be in is to be 'on the button', representing the designated dealer for that hand.

The differing strengths of different positions means that you should play a different range of hands pre-flop, dependent on your current position. For example, if you are in a late position with suited connectors such as + , you could get good value to play the hand if lots of players have limped in. However, you would be better folding the same hand against a raise without any other callers. The reason for this is that you will usually not hit the hand you want, a straight or a flush, so when you do you want to be in a potentially large pot. With many players in the hand it can pay well, but up against just a couple of players you won't win enough money in the long run to justify the cost of playing the hand on all the occasions when you don't hit anything big enough.

Understanding the consequences of good or bad position is very important for new players to get to grips with. A lot of new players don't fully understand the importance of position and it becomes a costly part of their game. More explanation can be found in the Starting Hands section, as position very much affects the hands you can play before the flop.