Playing out of position
Acting first after the flop, which makes every street harder to play and pots harder to control.
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- What it means
- The player who acts first after the flop is out of position. From the big blind you are out of position against every seat except the small blind, so it is where most of your postflop hands are played.
- How it is calculated
- Check most flops to the preflop raiser, who will bet often. Check-raise your strongest hands and best draws, call with medium hands that beat the price, and fold the rest. Lead into the raiser only with a reason.
- Worked example
- You call a 2.5bb button raise from the big blind and the flop is K-7-2. You check, the button bets 2bb into 5.5bb, and a call needs 2 ÷ 9.5 = 21% equity.
- Why it matters
- Without position you act with less information on every street, so keeping pots small with medium hands and letting the raiser bet saves the most chips.
Lessons that teach it: Acting later gives information · lessons other than the free one need an invite
See also: Position, Continuation bet, Minimum defense frequency