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Position Strategy Guide

Position strategy for Cash (6-Max) and Tournament (9-Max). Organized so even beginners can follow along easily.

Know These Terms First!

IPIn Position. You act after your opponent — an advantage.

OOPOut of Position. You act before your opponent — a disadvantage.

OpenMaking the first raise when no one has raised yet.

C-betContinuation bet. The preflop raiser bets again on the flop.

3-betRe-raising an opponent's open raise.

DefendResponding to an open from the blinds by calling or 3-betting.

Hand Notation

44+All pairs from 44 and above (44, 55, 66... AA)

AKsSame suit hand (s = suited, e.g., Ace of spades + King of spades)

AKoDifferent suit hand (o = offsuit, e.g., Ace of spades + King of hearts)

A2s+A2 suited and above (A2s, A3s, A4s... AKs)

5 Key Principles

1.The later you act, the bigger your advantage. Later positions can play more hands profitably.

2.The same cards change in value depending on your seat. A hand might be a call in one spot and a fold in another.

3.SB (Small Blind) has a wide range but always acts first postflop, so you should size up to 3BB.

4.BB (Big Blind) is a defender, not an opener. Your calling range depends on where the opponent opened from.

5.Postflop betting (C-bet) should be aggressive when acting last (IP) and cautious when acting first (OOP).

Why Does Position Matter?

Information edge — you see what opponents do before making your decision.
Pot control — it's easier to manage the pot size when you act later.
Bluff efficiency — bluffs and value bets both work better when you act last.
Wider range — the same hand is much more profitable from a better position.

9-Max tournament early stage (100BB deep). More players than cash, plus ICM pressure means tighter play.

Position Summary

9-Max

Pos	Open Range	Players Behind	Postflop	Sizing
UTGUTG+1	~10-12%	7~8	Mostly first	2bb
MPLJ	~13-15%	5~6	Mostly first	2bb
HJ	~18%	4	Depends	2bb
CO	~24%	3	Mostly last	2bb
BTN	~38%	2	Always last	2bb
SB	~38%	1	Always first	2.5bb
BB	Defend	—	Mostly first	—

BTN

Button

Best Position

Position Traits

1.Always last to act postflop (IP) — the biggest advantage in poker
2.Only SB and BB behind — easiest position to steal blinds
3.The most profitable seat at the table

Open Range (% of hands you can first-raise)

~38%

AKs

AQs

AJs

ATs

A9s

A8s

A7s

A6s

A5s

A4s

A3s

A2s

AKo

KQs

KJs

KTs

K9s

K8s

K7s

K6s

K5s

K4s

K3s

K2s

AQo

KQo

QJs

QTs

Q9s

Q8s

Q7s

Q6s

Q5s

Q4s

Q3s

Q2s

AJo

KJo

QJo

JTs

J9s

J8s

J7s

J6s

J5s

J4s

J3s

J2s

ATo

KTo

QTo

JTo

T9s

T8s

T7s

T6s

T5s

T4s

T3s

T2s

A9o

K9o

Q9o

J9o

T9o

98s

97s

96s

95s

94s

93s

92s

A8o

K8o

Q8o

J8o

T8o

98o

87s

86s

85s

84s

83s

82s

A7o

K7o

Q7o

J7o

T7o

97o

87o

76s

75s

74s

73s

72s

A6o

K6o

Q6o

J6o

T6o

96o

86o

76o

65s

64s

63s

62s

A5o

K5o

Q5o

J5o

T5o

95o

85o

75o

65o

54s

53s

52s

A4o

K4o

Q4o

J4o

T4o

94o

84o

74o

64o

54o

43s

42s

A3o

K3o

Q3o

J3o

T3o

93o

83o

73o

63o

53o

43o

32s

A2o

K2o

Q2o

J2o

T2o

92o

82o

72o

62o

52o

42o

32o

How to Play

1.You always act last, so you can c-bet frequently. Solvers bet over 80% of the time from BTN.
2.Even when SB/BB 3-bet you, you keep position — so your call range is wider than other seats.
3.Folding too much from BTN is a big loss. Play as many hands as you can profitably.

Tournament 100BB is similar to cash, but ICM (chips being worth less than face value) means you should be more cautious in all-in situations.

Common Beginner Mistakes

×Not understanding BTN's power and playing too tight — the biggest EV loss
×Giving up too easily postflop instead of leveraging the position advantage

Pos

Open Range

Postflop

UTGUTG+1

~10-12%

Mostly first

MPLJ

~13-15%

Mostly first

~18%

Depends

~24%

Mostly last

BTN

~38%

Always last

~38%

Always first

Defend

Mostly first