Table Position

Your table position plays a huge role in how you should play your hand. Many people, specially at the lower limits to pay any attention to position. There are three main positions that you should base your pre-flop play on.

Early Position

Early position is considered small blind, big blind, and one or two positions after depending on the size of the table. When you are in early position, you want to play a bit tighter than one and later positions. For example, you may not want to play A10 or AJ in early position, when you may play it in later positions. The reason that you don't want to play too many hands in early position is because you will be one of the first to act after the flop and don't have the advantage of seeing how your opponent to play. So, in early position don't play as many hands as he would in later positions.

Middle Position

There isn't much difference between middle and late position pre-flop. However, there is quite a bit of difference if you're talking post-flop. When you are in middle position, he can play a little looser than you would in early position but not quite as loose as you would in late position. If you bet or raise pre-flop, there's a better chance of someone calling after you and before the blinds, giving you a disadvantage after the flop.

Late Position

Late position is the best position to have. You get to see what the rest of the table chooses to do before you make a decision. Having a position such as a button, which is the dealer, is you a great advantage. If everyone folds to you well the chance to steal the blinds, where an earlier middle position, you wouldn't want to try that. As far as pre-flop play goes, you can play more hands and raise if you feel you may have the best hand with an ace high or something similar. After the flop, you get to see what your opponents decide to do, whether they bet or check, usually giving you a sign on their hands strength.