Rahul P Gopal
Rock Star
Platinum Level
How to Play Smart from Every Seat (With Examples!)
One of the biggest keys to winning more chips in cash games is understanding how to play your position at the table. Your seat—the order in which you act—affects your decisions greatly. Playing strong hands in early seats and loosening up in late seats can help you control the pot, avoid tough spots, and maximize profits.
Here’s a detailed guide with examples for each position:
### Early Position (EP): Play Tight and Solid
You act first after the blinds, so you have little info. Play only strong hands to avoid trouble.
- **Strong raise hands:** Pocket Aces (AA), Kings (KK), Queens (QQ), Ace-King (AK) suited or offsuit.
- **Example:** You hold $$A K$$ suited in EP. Raise 3x the big blind to build the pot and show strength.
- **Example:** Pocket 8s ($$8 8$$) in EP is borderline—better to fold or call if there’s little action ahead.
- **Avoid:** Small suited connectors and weak aces here; they are great in late position but risky from EP.
### Middle Position (MP): Start Adding Good Hands
You see some action before you act, so you can open your range a bit.
- **Raise with:** Medium pocket pairs like 7s, 8s, suited connectors like $$9 8$$ suited, and strong broadways like $$K Q$$.
- **Example:** Holding $$9 8$$ suited in MP, raise to try hitting big flops and steal blinds later.
- **Example:** Pocket 7s? You can raise or call depending on previous action.
### Late Position (Cutoff & Button): Time to Open Up!
Being last to act on most streets gives you the advantage of watching others before deciding.
- **Loosen up:** Raise with a wide range of hands—lesser suited connectors, weaker aces, even some one-gappers like $$9 7$$ suited.
- **Example:** Everyone folds to you on the button? Raise with $$K 9$$ suited or $$Q 8$$ suited to steal blinds.
- **Example:** $$A T$$ offsuit? Raise or call from cutoff/button plenty of times to keep your opponents guessing.
### Small Blind (SB): Defend with Care
You post half a blind and act first after the flop, so be careful but defend against steals.
- **Example:** Opponent raises from cutoff, you have $$A Q$$ in SB. Consider a 3-bet (re-raise) or call depending on stack sizes.
- **Example:** Weak hand like $$6 4$$ offsuit? Fold, because out of position, it’s hard to win with such hands.
### Big Blind (BB): Defend and React
You have already posted the big blind, so you get to see the flop last preflop, but first to act postflop.
- **Example:** Raise from hijack, you hold $$J T$$ suited. You should defend your BB with calls or raises, especially against late position steals.
- **Example:** If action folds to you in BB, check or raise cautiously with medium strength hands.
### Why Is Position So Important?
Playing last means you see what everyone else does before making your move—more info means better decisions! Playing too loose early or too tight late can cost you chips.
***
### Let’s Discuss:
- Got any experiences where your position helped you win a big pot?
- How do you adjust when the player to your left is very aggressive?
- Ever stuck with a hand like small pocket pairs or suited connectors from early position? How did that go?
- Do you change how you play positions in cash games versus tournaments?
Share your tips, struggles, and funny stories! Position is one of the easiest edges to gain if you use it right.
Last but not the least, use the below cheat code for quick reference. Attached you can find the positions for beginners as well.
One of the biggest keys to winning more chips in cash games is understanding how to play your position at the table. Your seat—the order in which you act—affects your decisions greatly. Playing strong hands in early seats and loosening up in late seats can help you control the pot, avoid tough spots, and maximize profits.
Here’s a detailed guide with examples for each position:
### Early Position (EP): Play Tight and Solid
You act first after the blinds, so you have little info. Play only strong hands to avoid trouble.
- **Strong raise hands:** Pocket Aces (AA), Kings (KK), Queens (QQ), Ace-King (AK) suited or offsuit.
- **Example:** You hold $$A K$$ suited in EP. Raise 3x the big blind to build the pot and show strength.
- **Example:** Pocket 8s ($$8 8$$) in EP is borderline—better to fold or call if there’s little action ahead.
- **Avoid:** Small suited connectors and weak aces here; they are great in late position but risky from EP.
### Middle Position (MP): Start Adding Good Hands
You see some action before you act, so you can open your range a bit.
- **Raise with:** Medium pocket pairs like 7s, 8s, suited connectors like $$9 8$$ suited, and strong broadways like $$K Q$$.
- **Example:** Holding $$9 8$$ suited in MP, raise to try hitting big flops and steal blinds later.
- **Example:** Pocket 7s? You can raise or call depending on previous action.
### Late Position (Cutoff & Button): Time to Open Up!
Being last to act on most streets gives you the advantage of watching others before deciding.
- **Loosen up:** Raise with a wide range of hands—lesser suited connectors, weaker aces, even some one-gappers like $$9 7$$ suited.
- **Example:** Everyone folds to you on the button? Raise with $$K 9$$ suited or $$Q 8$$ suited to steal blinds.
- **Example:** $$A T$$ offsuit? Raise or call from cutoff/button plenty of times to keep your opponents guessing.
### Small Blind (SB): Defend with Care
You post half a blind and act first after the flop, so be careful but defend against steals.
- **Example:** Opponent raises from cutoff, you have $$A Q$$ in SB. Consider a 3-bet (re-raise) or call depending on stack sizes.
- **Example:** Weak hand like $$6 4$$ offsuit? Fold, because out of position, it’s hard to win with such hands.
### Big Blind (BB): Defend and React
You have already posted the big blind, so you get to see the flop last preflop, but first to act postflop.
- **Example:** Raise from hijack, you hold $$J T$$ suited. You should defend your BB with calls or raises, especially against late position steals.
- **Example:** If action folds to you in BB, check or raise cautiously with medium strength hands.
### Why Is Position So Important?
Playing last means you see what everyone else does before making your move—more info means better decisions! Playing too loose early or too tight late can cost you chips.
***
### Let’s Discuss:
- Got any experiences where your position helped you win a big pot?
- How do you adjust when the player to your left is very aggressive?
- Ever stuck with a hand like small pocket pairs or suited connectors from early position? How did that go?
- Do you change how you play positions in cash games versus tournaments?
Share your tips, struggles, and funny stories! Position is one of the easiest edges to gain if you use it right.
Last but not the least, use the below cheat code for quick reference. Attached you can find the positions for beginners as well.
| Position | How to Play | Example Hands to Raise or Play | Example Hands to Avoid or Fold |
| Early Position (EP) | Play very tight and strong hands. | AA, KK, QQ, AK suited/offsuit | Small connectors (56s), weak aces (A5o) |
| Middle Position (MP) | Add medium pairs and suited connectors. | (+) 77, 88, 98 suited, KQ suited | Low offsuit connectors (73o), weak kings (K8o) |
| Late Position (Cut off and Button) | Loosen up and try stealing blinds. | KT, Q8 suited, 97 suited, almost any ace | Very weak hands (e.g. 92o, 54o) only if good reads |
| Small Blind (SB) | Defend selectively, avoid bad spots. | AQ, AJ (sometimes 3-bet), decent broadways | Weak suited/unconnected offsuit cards |
| Big Blind (BB) | Defend against steals; call or 3-bet selectively. | JT suited, medium pairs, broadway hands | Low offsuit cards unless pot odds are great |