This month our resident Boot Camp drill sergeant, Nick “Nicky Numbers” Brancato, knocks your positional game into shape.
Playing out of position can leave you more confused than George W. Bush at a MENSA meeting. Acting from the blinds is a tricky proposition because your position throughout the hand changes. Although the blinds are last to act pre-flop, they are forced to act first on the flop, turn and river. Here, I list the top mistakes often made when playing out of position and how to rectify them.
1. POSITION
You’ve heard it before - in poker, position is power. The player in position is able to act after their opponents, which provides them with a huge advantage. Knowing what the other players are going to do, before you are forced to act, presents you with the most amount of information possible. This results in an increased likelihood of you making correct decisions.
2. DECISION MAKING
It’s difficult to win a hand when your opponents have position on you post-flop. Your goal should be to limit your decision making when playing out of position. The best way to accomplish this objective is simply by staying out of trouble.
3. DON’T BE A CALLING STATION
A common mistake amongst players is to call too often from the blinds. Don’t play trash hands just because you’re getting a discount to see the flop. Losing those additional chips every round can really add up quickly. This will lead to a slow and steady leak of your chips to the rest of the table.
4. WATCH FOR RAISES
Habitually calling raises, when in the blinds, is another recurring mistake made by many players. Putting yourself in a situation where your opponent was the pre-flop aggressor, and they have position on you post-flop, is a recipe for disaster. That forces you to play a large pot out of position, which is more difficult to do than sitting through an entire High School Musical marathon.
5. LIMPING ALONG
If you are going to limp from the small blind, or call a raise from either blind, do so only when there are several other players in the pot. This increases the likelihood of you getting paid off when you make your hand. Limit your range of hands to ones that either hit big or completely miss. You should not be looking to flop top pair in these situations. You want to make a hand of at least two pair or a monster draw that gives you a minimum of twelve outs.
6. DON’T BE PASSIVE
Error #6 is playing too passively from the blinds. If there are a few limpers and you have a solid hand, but it plays poorly against several opponents, raise. Any hands that are looking to make top pair, or be an over-pair to the board, fit into this category. In these situations, your goal should be to take it down pre-flop or get heads-up against just one opponent.
7. AGGRESSION IS KEY
By being aggressive, you can create a scenario where it can actually be advantageous to be out of position. Acting before your opponent on the flop, having been the pre-flop aggressor, allows you to frequently win with a continuation bet. It’s also important to protect some of your hands by re-raising pre-flop. When a player raises in front of you, especially if there are callers in between, re-raise them with your premium hands. By putting your opponents to the test, you will often win the hand pre-flop, or square off against just a single player.
8. BE SELECTIVE
Finally, playing too many hands from the blinds is a common leak that needs to be plugged. Allowing your opponents to have position on you post-flop is an enormous disadvantage. You should avoid playing out of position as much as possible, but if you’re going to engage the enemy from the blinds, arm yourself with the weapon of aggression. |
