The UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2 positions are known collectively as “early position”, or “EP”. Because they are the first players to act preflop, their starting hand ranges need to be tighter, as there are several players left to act after them.
- What is table position in Texas Hold'em? If you take a close look at an online poker table, you will notice that the dealer button moves to the left after every hand. This allows for each player to put an equal amount of blinds into the pot as the game is played through each rotation of the dealer button.
- Early position(EP): First move in the hand is always made by the player seated in the early position. This is the 1 st position to the left of BB i.e Big Blind. The position which is immediately left to the Big Blind and is the first one to act and is known as 'Under the Gun'(UTG). On a poker table of 9, Player sitting immediately next to UTG.
Early position play in Texas holdem is one of the biggest weaknesses that most players struggle with.
The same problems are found in limit and no limit play. And they all start with playing too many weak hands.
Early position includes the first two spots to the left of the big blind at full tables. At a competitive table you can also include the third spot to the left of the big blind. At a six max table early position is the first spot to the left of the big blind, and can include the first two spots on a competitive table.
When you play Texas holdem hands out of position you start the hand at a disadvantage and it continues throughout the hand. This means that when you decide to enter a hand from early position you should only play your strongest hands.
This is the only way you can hope to overcome the disadvantage of acting before most or all of your opponents.
You should also raise most of the time when entering the pot from early position. This builds the pot with your best hands and thins the field. You don’t want to face multiple opponents when playing out of position if possible.
When you play out of position your opponents receive additional information before they act because they know what you do on each round. Texas holdem is won and lost based on the information you have available and how you use it.
Every small piece of information is an important part of beating your opponents. When you give away information it puts you at a disadvantage. This is what you do when you play out of position.
This list of 9 early position Texas holdem hands includes the only hands you should ever consider playing in these positions. And some of them should be folded most of the time.
I cover each hand in detail, including which ones should be played every time and the ones that can only be played in certain situations.
1. Ace Ace
Pocket aces are the strongest Texas holdem starting hand and should always be played. When you can play aces heads up against a single opponent they’re a strong favorite against any other hand.
Even if you have to play them against two opponents you still have a strong chance to win.
When I mentioned above that pocket aces should always be played it means you should never fold them before the flop. Raise with them and continue raising as long as an opponent is willing to play.
But after the flop you need to use your best judgment. It’s hard to lay down aces, but you’ll find situations where you get outdrawn on the flop or later in the hand.
It’s difficult to play pocket aces in any way that isn’t profitable in the long run. But in order to be a winning Texas holdem poker player you need to maximize the amount you win with your best hands.
When you have a premium hand like aces you need to play them aggressively and build the pot as much as possible without forcing all of your opponents to fold.
I want to address the possibility of limping with pocket aces. Of all the hands on this list that you can play from early position it’s the safest to limp with. But it’s almost always more profitable to raise with aces than limp.
The only time I consider limping with pocket aces is at a table with a couple of ultra-aggressive players behind me. The idea is to let them build the pot for me, but this is dangerous.
Unless you’re an advanced player the best way to play this hand is always with a raise before the flop.
2. King King
Pocket kings are the second best starting hand in Texas holdem. The only hand that dominates it is pocket aces, and if you play long enough you’re going to have kings when an opponent has aces. But it doesn’t happen often.
The few times in your life when an opponent has pocket aces and you have pocket kings you still have a chance. The deck still has two outs that complete a set for you so your luck might quickly turn around.
I play kings the same way I play aces until an ace lands on the board or it’s clear that I’ve been outdrawn. This means I bet and raise with them before the flop and am willing to put as much in the pot as any opponent is willing to put in.
You’ll find many opponents willing to bet and raise with you holding pocket queens, pocket jacks, ace king suited, ace king, and sometimes ace queen or pocket 10’s. None of these hands are profitable against king king so every chip your opponent puts in is more long term profit for you.
When an ace lands on the flop I might slow down a little depending on what I know about my opponent or opponents, but usually I continue playing in an aggressive manner until an opponent fights back.
If you get into a situation where it looks like your kings might not be the best hand you need to consider the pot odds, the size of your remaining stack, and the size of your opponent’s stack. Often by the time your kings may get outdrawn the pot odds are so good that you can’t fold.
In a limit Texas holdem game it’s almost impossible to find a situation where you should fold pocket kings. If you raised before the flop as much and as often as possible hopefully it thinned the field.
The pot odds in a two or three way pot after the flop rarely drop below the needed ratio to fold. An even when it does it’ll be close.
In a large pot with four or more opponents it can get trickier. The higher the number of opponents who see the flop the higher the chance one of them has an ace.
In the long run pocket kings are profitable even when you play in multi way pots, but it reduces their profitability.
3. Queen Queen
Pocket queens are a strong Texas holdem starting hand but considerably weaker than pocket aces or pocket kings.
They should be played from every position, including early, but you should always enter with a raise. You must thin the field as much as possible because flops with an ace or king will happen frequently.
If you raise with queens and get re-raised from a player in a later position you need to use your knowledge of the player to put them on a range of hands. In limit Texas holdem a single raise before the flop is an easy call, but in a no limit game you need to consider the situation in more depth.
You don’t want to get pot committed before the flop with pocket queens unless you’re willing to get all in. And if you’re willing to get all in it’s best to be the aggressor and do it before the flop.
If you raise and get re-raised before the flop and a call will pot commit you it’s time to decide if you’re willing to play for all of your money. If you continue with the hand an all in move is your best play.
If you decide you don’t want to play for your entire stack you should fold to the pre flop raise.
4. Ace King Suited
One of the biggest problems Texas holdem players have, especially in no limit play, is overvaluing ace king suited and ace king unsuited.
I believe that the main reason it’s overvalued is because when you watch big poker tournaments on television that you often see people moving all in with ace king.
But when the pros do this in a tournament they’re usually in a short stack situation and have to take a chance to double up.
Ace king suited will rarely win a hand if it doesn’t improve. And when you hit top pair you have top kicker but can lose to a set or two pair hands. When you hit a flush it’s the top flush but it’s difficult to get maximum value because everyone can see the flush possibility.
It’s almost always better to enter the pot with a raise than limping, but if you’re going to limp from early position this is the type of hand to consider doing it with.
But when you limp you need to know what you’re going to do if you get raised. Ace king suited should be raised with most of the time to avoid this situation most of the time.
When you raise and get re-raised before the flop, you need to seriously consider laying the hand down. When you play a drawing hand out of position a smart opponent will punish you throughout the hand.
Ace king suited tends to win small pots and lose big ones if you aren’t careful. This isn’t the way smart and profitable players play Texas holdem.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play this hand from early position but you need to play it in a smart way. Be willing to get away from the hand when it doesn’t improve on the flop.
Another reason to raise with ace king suited before the flop is so you can make a continuation bet on the flop if you don’t improve. Often a continuation bet ends the hand on the flop if you showed aggression before the flop.
When you raise before the flop, miss the flop, and bet on the flop, if you get called or raised you should check and fold for the rest of the hand unless you improve.
5. Ace King
Ace king has all of the same problems as ace king suited and doesn’t have as good of a chance to make a flush.
I strongly dislike unsuited ace king from early position, but I do play it. I always raise with it and make a continuation bet on the flop. If I get re-raised before the flop I consider laying it down if I’m facing a strong opponent.
In the long run ace king can be played from early position profitably, but only if you can get away from it when you miss the flop. It’s not as profitable as any of the hands discussed so far, but if the rest of your game is solid you can make money with it.
6. Ace Queen Suited
In many ways ace queen suited is better than ace king or ace king suited. For most players it’s easier to get away from this hand after missing the flop than ace king.
It’s also easier to fold to a re-raise behind you before the flop.
One of the advantages to playing ace queen is when you hit a straight it’s not as evident as when you have ace king. Most players will still see it, but if you raise before the flop from early position ace queen suited isn’t one of the first hands an opponent will put you on.
Another small advantage is if you hit a flush you might have an opponent who hits a king high flush. You won’t be able to extract maximum value when this happens, but you can usually get them to call a reasonably sized bet on the turn and / or river.
7. Ace Queen
Ace queen is a weak hand from early position, especially in no limit play. You should fold it most of the time at a table with several good players.
When you hit an ace on the flop you have a decent kicker, but it’s not the best one.
The problem with ace queen and the next two hands below is that they aren’t really good enough to raise with from early position but when you limp you can face a raise before the flop. Then you need to decide if the hand is good enough to call a raise with out of position or fold and lose your original bet.
When you limp and face a raise with ace queen and ace jack suited the best play is almost always to fold. So the best play is a raise when you enter the pot.
When you raise and get re-raised you should fold unless you know a great deal about your opponent and have reason to believe that you can play out of position profitably for the rest of the hand against them. This will rarely be the case.
8. Ace Jack Suited
Ace jack suited is one of the worst hands that can still be played from early position in some Texas holdem games. It needs to improve to win in almost every hand, when you hit top pair you either have a weak kicker or the possibility of an over pair, and it’s hard to tell when your hand is best.
Texas Holdem Early Position Rankings
In no limit games with decent players it’s rarely profitable to play this hand from early position. If you play well after the flop you can squeeze out a small long term profit with ace jack suited in limit play, but it’s a close call.
When I play ace jack suited from early position I always play it with a raise. If I get re-raised before the flop I usually fold and if I get called and miss the flop I make a continuation bet. Sometimes this is enough to end the hand.
I also make what looks like a continuation bet when I hit the flop. This is exactly how I play most hands on this list so my opponents can’t put me on a hand.
Just like how many Texas holdem players overvalue ace king, many also overvalue suited starting hands. When you hit an ace high flush it’ a strong hand but the problem is extracting maximum value when you do.
With the other problems that ace jack have this makes it a questionable hand from early position. In no limit play you need to be especially careful with this hand.
In limit Texas holdem it’s easier to play profitably because your maximum loss is limited when you hit a hand that doesn’t end up being the best hand. But it also limits your maximum win when you hit a big hand.
9. Jack Jack
I listed the hands on this page in order from best to worst and had a difficult time deciding if pocket jacks or ace jack suited was the worst hand.
I fold both of these hands from early position in no limit play most of the time. They’re both weak and tend to lose big pots and win small ones.
The best way to play pocket jacks is just like a middle pocket pair. This means that most of the value is when you hit a set.
You can limp or raise with pocket jacks from early position. When you limp you can usually afford to call a raise because when you hit a set it can be profitable enough in the long run to make it a positive play.
Texas Holdem Early Position Strategy
When you raise before the flop with jacks and get re-raised you’re in a bad spot. You showed aggression from early position and an opponent has a good enough hand to challenge you with a raise.
This usually means their hand is better than yours at this point. And since you’ve already invested a raise it often makes you want to continue with the hand. But most of the time you probably need to fold when you get re-raised before the flop, especially in no limit play.
Texas Holdem Early Position Drills
In limit Texas holdem limping isn’t a terrible play with pocket jacks. The problem with limping with them from early position is that smart opponents can start seeing your playing tendencies.
You need to mix up your play against good opponents so they have a hard time putting you on a hand.
When you see the flop with pocket jacks and end up with an over pair to the board you need to be extremely careful. It looks like a good hand but the only way you’ll get much action is when you’re beat by a higher pair or a set.
Warning
Many Texas holdem players learn how valuable hitting a set can be. They look for opportunities to play pocket pairs against an aggressive player and clean up when they hit a set.
This works well when a player raises and you can call their raise. This works best when you have a later position than the raiser.
Many players try to play middle and smaller pairs from early position. The problem with this is you’re out of position for the entire hand. This turns a small profit situation to a negative expectation situation.
If you raise with these pocket pairs you’re building a pot with a weak hand. But when you limp and face a raise you usually invest more money than when you call a raise from later position.
Any pocket pairs of 10’s or lower should always be folded from early position. This is true in both limit and no limit Texas holdem play.
Another set of hands that poor players fall in love with are suited connectors. Hands like jack 10 suited, 10 nine suited, and nine eight suited can form straights and flushes, but they start in such a weak position before the flop that they can’t be played profitably.
Only consider playing the 9 early position Texas holdem hands listed in this post to avoid unprofitable situations.
Conclusion
The hands listed on this page are the only ones you should consider playing from early position while playing Texas holdem. The possibility of turning a long term profit with any other hands is miniscule.
A few of these nine hands shouldn’t be played in every game and some of them should always be played. Remember to focus on situations where you can win big pots and lose small ones, not the other way around.
Pocket jacks, ace queen suited, ace queen, and ace jack suited aren’t strong hands in early position so don’t be afraid to fold them in most games
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Position at the table, or where a player sits relative to the dealer, is one of the aspects of poker most often overlooked by rookie players. They mistakenly think that all seats are created equal, and that what matters most is what cards you have in your hand. This couldn't be further from the truth-- as Norwegian wűnderkind Annette Obrestad demonstrated, professional players know 'how important it is to play position and to pay attention to the players at the table'-- Obrestad won a sit and go game online where she looked at her cards only once (on an all-in) during the entire tournament.
The best position that you can hold in a poker game is the one where you're the last person to act, i.e., you get to make your decisions after observing everyone else at the table as they make theirs. In poker lingo, you're said to 'have position' on any players who have gone before you (those who have already taken their action by the time you take yours) and you're 'out of position' with those who come after you (those who can take your actions into account when considering your own). This is because there is a distinct advantage to having a position that allows you to go after the other players, and a distinct disadvantage if they end up going after you. Generally speaking, you have position on the players to your right and are out of position with the players on your left, although certain circumstances can change this. If your opponent has the button, for instance, or you are to the left of the blinds on the first round of betting, you are out of position with them.
Position in a poker game is generally broken down into early position, middle position, late position, and the blinds.
Early Position
Texas Holdem Early Position Calculator
The first three players after the blind generally comprise early position (although obviously, all of the positions shift depending on the total number of players at the table). In Texas Hold'em and the majority of beginner-level poker varieties, the general rule is that the later your position, the better, so early position requires a player to really be careful about what cards he or she plays. When you're in an early position, you don't want to move forward with a weak hand, because you have no control over the betting and will likely lose unless you have the nuts.
In games like Omaha and Stud, early position offers certain advantages-- meaning that it's not all bad news if you're stuck in an early position. However, there's a lot more strategy involved in these poker variants, and you need to know the strategy that is specific to these games and think on your feet to really be successful. As a beginner, though, you can just stick with 'early is bad, late is good' and stay away from Omaha.
Under the Gun (UtG)
If you're under the gun, or UtG as it's commonly abbreviated in poker circles, you're sitting in the earliest position at the table. This puts you at a strong disadvantage, because you have to decide how you're going to act before anyone else, and they will all be able to take your action into account when making their own decisions. The number of starting hands that are actually worth playing from this position are very few-- when you're in this position, you don't have a lot of leeway and will probably end up folding the majority of hands that you get (if you're playing right).
Middle Position
Middle position generally refers to players who are after the first three players after the blinds and before the last two players before the blinds-- i.e., any players who are not early position or late position. Middle position isn't ideal, but it's not too bad, either. Since most hands of poker get whittled down to just a couple players at the table (as the rest have folded), you'll still have position on any of the players who go before you if you end up in heads-up play with them. In middle position, you have greater freedom in terms of which hands are actually worth playing, although your options aren't as wide open as they are in late position.
Late Position
The last two players before the blinds are generally considered to be in last position, the most advantageous of positions in a poker game as you can assess everyone else's actions and go from there. If you're adept at tells and knowing when other players are bluffing, you might have a good idea of what other players are holding in their hands by the time your turn to bet comes around. If you're in last position, you have a lot more options in terms of what hands you can actually run with.
Betting Position
Being in a late position in the game offers you the opportunity to claim the pot if other players have flopped or hesitated to bet before you. By betting in late position, you have the chance to bluff and push other players out of the running, therefore claiming the pot for yourself. If you don't have a particularly strong hand, you have a chance of taking the pot, but you should also be willing to bow out and fold if someone else raises after you. This is called a check-raise (when someone checks, hoping for another player to raise, and then re-raises), and it's often used to trap players into committing to a pot for which they don't have a strong enough hand. The value of this last position also varies if you're playing something other than Texas Hold'em-- while it still has value, being in the very last spot (the button) makes it very difficult to pull off a solid raise in games like Omaha HiLo and some varieties of stud.
The Button
The button, which designates who the 'dealer' is during a particular hand, is widely considered the strongest position at the table because this individual is the last one to bet in each round (except the first, when the blinds go last). This not only gives the person with the button the most information for making decisions, but it also puts him or her in the prime betting position, allowing them to bluff in order to drive others out. When someone raises on the button pre-flop, it's called a button raise, and experienced players are likely to notice if you make button raises too often, which will counteract their efficiency when other players start to call whenever you bet from this position.
Big and Small Blinds
There are benefits to sitting in the blinds, but mastering the balance of the strengths of these positions with the vulnerabilities that they also have is the key to playing them well. Players in the blinds have already contributed to the pot-- either half (small blind) the minimum bet or all of it (big blind)-- before the round of betting starts. During the first round, the small and large blinds bet last, but they bet first every round after that. This means that the blinds have the advantage during the first round of betting but lose it quickly thereafter and will find themselves in a more vulnerable position. Since players in the blinds have already thrown money into the pot, they essentially get a look at the flop for free (or half the normal cost), which is a very strong advantage.
What many beginning players fail to understand about playing the blinds is that this advantage isn't permanent. Many players don't fold when they should while in the blinds-- a lousy hand is still a lousy hand and holding onto it isn't going to make it any better-- and they often fail to assess their cards as someone sitting in early position should (more allowances are made for late position, and many novice players in the blinds will assess their cards as though they were sitting in late position, which becomes a regrettable move as soon as the first round of betting is over and the player's hand loses some of its relative strength). Other beginning players will call raises made by other players, thinking that the difference isn't too great. Such players take for granted that the money for the blind isn't 'free money'-- it's something they've already coughed up for this round-- and they're more willing to throw good money after bad by calling a raise made by someone with a better hand than they have.
When playing the blinds, always remember to be conservative-- while there's no harm in checking and seeing the flop (if you're the big blind), don't get too attached to the cards that you have while in this position, or you may end up throwing money away. Statistically speaking, players lose more money in the blinds than they gain.