When I first started playing poker, I went to a good friend of mine, a professional poker player to get some basic advice. One of the most important things he told me was that your position in a given hand is of the utmost importance.

Poker is a game dictated by your position in a hand; the later you are, the more information you have before making a decision and the better plays you can make.

By "late-position play" I am referring to situations when you are either in the cutoff seat or on the button. It’s very important to be more aggressive than usual.

Today, I will give you a few examples as these types of situations will undoubtedly come up whenever you play.

Hand No. 1: You’re in the cutoff seat with the Kc Qs and open with a raise to $12. The button re-raises you to $24 and you are the only caller. There is $51 in the pot and two players.

The flop is Ac 8c 3c. What do you do?

Think about it; you have the nut flush draw here so you obviously have outs and who knows, the Ace may have scared him. You should absolutely bet the flop. In these heads up, re-raised pots, you need to make a play for the pot and a bet is more effective than a check-raise.

His button re-raise pre-flop could have been done with lots of hands, AK, any pocket pair etc., since he was responding to what he viewed to be a steal-raise. By betting, you sieze control and he might well fold a pocket pair that does not include a club rather than play what, to him, might look like a two-outer, at best.

If he calls or raises, you have the nut-flush draw and if you hit, you will get paid off. This blocking bet on your part at the very least dictates how much you will have to invest on later streets if he just calls.

Hand No. 2: With the As Qh, you open in the cutoff seat with a raise to $15. The button and small blind fold. The big blind re-raises to $30 and you call. There is $61 in the pot and two players.

The flop is Js 8s 4h. The big blind bets $30. All you have is Ace high, so what do you do?

There is $91 in the pot and it costs you $30 to call. You have six outs at best, which is a 7-to-1 shot, and this is about what the pot is offering if you call. The big blind’s re-raise could mean a decent pair or A-K.

Against A-K, you are dead to a Queen, and an Ace will cost you some money. Against a decent pair, you may be up against a set or pocket Kings or Queens, making you dead to either two perfect cards or just an Ace.

You should fold. This situation doesn’t look good for you. This is taking advantage of your superior position.

Hand No. 3: You are in the cutoff seat with the Ah 8h. You open with a raise to $15 and the big blind re-raises to $40, with the other players having folded.

You make a dubious call. There is $81 in the pot and two players. The flop is 10h 7h 6s. The big blind bets $50 and you call. There is $170 in the pot. The turn is the 4s. The big blind bets. What do you do?

If you call, you’re giving away that you’re on a flush draw. If he has missed and is simply using continuation bets, he will probably fold right here. If he calls, you maximize your profit.

Hand No. 4: You are on the button with the Ac Kh. Everyone folds to the cutoff, who opens with a raise to $15. You immediately re-raise to $30 and only the cutoff calls. There is $63 in the pot and two players.

The flop is 7h 6h 4c. Your opponent checks. You bet $60 and he calls after hesitating. There is $183 in the pot. The turn is the 5d and again your opponent checks. You suspiciously check. The river is the 7h. Your opponent bets $50. What should you do?

You couldn’t possibly fold in this spot, even with Ace high. You lose if he has anything from a 3 to an 8 in his hand but given the pre-flop action, that is highly unlikely. You beat anything else he can possibly have except for an overpair, even AQ. Call here.

I hope you learn something from these examples. The best way to learn and master the game is to use prior history as a guide and apply these same principles to future situations. As soon as I learned the importance of late position, I became a better player almost instantly. You can too.

Until next time, may the chips fall your way.

-Carrie