Playing from Middle/Late Position

Playing “with position” or “having position” on your opponent means you get to see whether your opponent wants to bet his or her hand before you have to act. This fact alone makes playing from later positions much more favorable. And for players who appreciate the importance of position, this knowledge usually translates into playing more hands from middle and late position.

Middle Position

From middle position you can loosen up a little in relation to early position. You can raise with pairs as low as 77 and unpaired hands like A-K down to A-J. You can also consider playing big suited cards like Kh-Jh, Qc-Jc, or really any two cards 10 or higher. Even lower suited connectors like 8h-7h or 6s-5s can be played from middle position, although you’ll want to be careful not to put too much money in the middle before the flop with these hands.

Whereas in early position you are usually acting before others, from middle position you’ll get to see what the early position players have done before you play. If everyone folds to you, it is usually better to raise when entering the hand than just to call, as that increases the likelihood others will fold behind you, leaving you with the best position after the flop.

Late Position

From late position you can open your range of starting hands even further. If folded to in late position, you can raise with many hands, including:

• Any pair
• Non-suited hands with an ace down to A-7 and any suited ace (e.g. Ah-2h)
• Any two cards ten or higher
• Any two suited cards nine or higher (e.g. Js-9s)
• All suited connectors, including one-gap (e.g. 9d-7d) and even two-gap hands (e.g. 8s-5s)

Having the advantage of position should encourage you to play hands even if others have come into the hand ahead of you. When opponents limp in front of you, consider raising or calling, depending on the strength of your hand.

If someone already called in front of you, then tighten up your requirements, only raising with pairs TT or above, and unpaired cards A-J or higher. You should call with pairs 99 and below, and suited cards 9 and above (e.g. 9s Ks), any suited ace (e.g. Ad 4d), and any suited connectors (e.g. 7h 8h).

If someone raises from early or middle position, you can call from late position with those medium-strength hands too. Your positional advantage after the flop will somewhat make up for the fact that your opponent will likely have a better hand before the flop. But don’t get too carried away, especially with hands like A-9 or K-J that are often dominated by hands held by early or middle position raisers.

Now if you hold a big hand in late position, you will want to reraise if someone raises in front of you. This is the right move if you hold a pair of at least TT, or unpaired cards A-Q and up. You can also consider mixing things up from late position (e.g. sometimes reraising with medium-strength “calling” hands).