We offer you a selection of hands to familiarize yourself with preflop openings in no limit Texas holdem poker. These rows of hands are just a base that you need to improve and improve according to several criteria:
- The number of players at your table (the more players there are at your table, the tighter your preflop hand range should be and vice versa).
- For MTT (tournaments), it is important to also adapt your preflop hand selection according to your number of blinds. You can also refer to the push or fold chart from 10bb here.
- The quality, level and style of play of your opponents.
- Taking the ICM into account in tournaments.
- Any reading information you have.
- Your own playing style and mode: cash game, Mtt…
Preflop mistakes can be very costly, as a beginner you need to select which hands to play with. The later your position is, the greater your open range will be (when everyone else folds before you). We open fewer hands first to speak than at the button for example. This is called playing position. Being the first to speak postflop in a move is a disadvantage because your opponent will have additional information about you. If you open too wide preflop, you may be in trouble on the flop if you have, for example, a top even but with a less good kicker than your opponent.
The different positions at a poker table:
Strategy game par excellence, all the details are worth their weight in gold in poker, a timeless card game. The cards, although playing an important role, will have no importance if the player does not know how to do them in the different hands he has. Among the important details, position in poker takes pride of place, since it constitutes an advantage and has influenced the outcome of many legendary games.
What is position in poker?
Position in poker is the order in which you intervene during different hands. It is not fixed, and it moves clockwise. So, depending on the hand, you will find yourself in a certain place to talk and play. In no limit Texas holdem, these different positions most of the time determine the strategy to be adopted by a player.
early (UTG), midle (high jack), Cut Off, Button, Small Blind, Big Blind => 6 Max
What are the different positions in poker?
In a game situation, it is often very disadvantageous to be the first to make a decision. Preflop, the worst position is called the small blind. It is found to the left of the button, the latter being the one which distributes the cards in a game without a dealer or online. This is the position in poker where it has the most advantage and with which we will play the most hands. The small blind is followed by the big blind which, like the previous one, requires the player to put in chips of higher value, generally double that of the small blind: these are the two positions with mandatory bidding.
To the left of the big blind, we find one of the trickiest positions in poker: under the gun (UTG). As his name suggests, the player finds himself in a situation where he is under pressure; he can generally play only a very small hand range. A wrong move can be fatal, since you are under gunpoint. To the left of the UTG player, we find the positions UTG+1, UTG+2 or even UTG+3 depending on the number of players engaged in the game.
On the right side of the button, we find the cut-off. It’s an interesting place, since it favors attacks. More and more players are making the most of this position in poker to succeed in the game.
To the left of the cut-off, there is the button, the best position in poker to exploit a marginal hand. He is called the dealer, and this position in poker is often considered the best. Indeed, the player benefits from maximum information to make the best possible decision. He can go for a bluff or make regular raises in order to control this hand as best as possible. If he does not have the necessary hand to win the bet, he can use malice to limit his losses. Note that the place of the button is often called the position in jargon.
Position in poker: key to information
As we said above, the positions during a game here offer various advantages to players. Whether to attack, to defend or to control the hand, the different places around the table favor one strategy or another. However, to get the most information, the best of all is that of the button. Let us remember, however, that in a pot with only two people it is the effective position against your direct opponent that counts.
In this place, you can enjoy the play of each player, since you are the last to speak. You will collect enough information and based on your hand you will make a decision. Bluffing, raises and even attacks are at the heart of this game when you find yourself in this position in poker. It is important to emphasize that the cut-off and hijack places also benefit from certain advantages. Moreover, like the button, these are the places that favor preflop raises and the stealing of the blinds in tournaments.
Poker position can influence pot size
In no limit Texas holdem poker, position is decisive to the point of influencing the size of the pot. In this place, beyond the hand you hold, you can make valuation bets with surgical precision, especially if you know you have the best hand. The last word gives you that advantage that you can't have at any other seat at the table. It is therefore important to know how to use it.
Note that if you have not hit your draw or have bad cards, you can go for a bluff or prevent the bet from increasing at the risk of losing a lot of chips by being in a prime position. what we call controlling the pot.
Position in poker is not everything
Although of capital importance, position in poker is not everything. Performing a continuation bet systematically on unconnected flops will lead your opponents to adopt a more regular check raising strategy and could put you in difficulty. In other words, your perception of the opponent's range will be decisive in the choice of your bets or bluffs.
As a result, more and more players, in order to surprise opponents, like to play out of position despite a more marginal hand. Generally, this is counterproductive but can be formidable against low-level opponents postflop.
In conclusion, poker is a card game where position plays a determining role in the outcome of a hand. She is the master of the strategies to implement if the hand you have allows it, it's even better. However, the level of your opponents remains decisive in making your decisions. You have to know how to go about it, know the theoretical bases of the game and the position in poker to be able to do better during the different games and play an exploitative game.
Preflop ranges in NLH 6max poker:
- Range preflop early position:
13% of hands
- Range preflop midle position:
18% of hands
- Range preflop cut off:
25% of hands
- Range preflop button:
47% of hands
- Range preflop small blind:
37% of hands
*Capture taken using Range Manager software.
You now have a better idea of your pre-flop raising ranges as a beginner. The more experience you have, the more your ranges must adapt to the dynamics and style of your opponent to be exploitative.
