TABLE POSITION

In a poker game your position at the table is changing by rotating the Dealer button. The position is important for every player but not everyone is playing the position.

Not only your cards and chip stack, but also your position helps you decide about your betting, raising or folding. The best position at the table is the “Dealer”, that means the player with the dealer button has nothing to invest and sees what all other players do before he can decide how he is playing his cards. Preflop, all players at the table (except 2 – small and big blind, already have their chips more or less in) are acting before the dealer position and then the dealer button player already knows how many players are involved in this one hand.

You can use the position to bluff with a raise if nobody was raising or everybody was folding. Also after the flop you can benefit from the “dealer” position, because you are the last to speak.

The other positions at the poker table are called:

SMALL BLIND – is the one after dealer and has already put half of the Big blind in

BIG BLIND – is the second seat after dealer and has to bring the minimum bet

UNDER THE GUN – is the position after the Big blind and is not recommendable to raise this position with any cards, if there is big raise from this position you can be sure it is a big bluff or really one of the best starting hands sitting at the table

CUT OFF – is the position before dealer button, it is not bad if dealer button folds, then you are in the “position of the dealer”

DEALER – the best position at the table, you can choose and vary your game depending on actions of other players before your turn

 

 

ACE KING STARTING HAND

A K starting hand is known also as “Big Slick”, “Anna Kournikova” or "Walking Back To Houston", this is the 4th best starting hand in Texas Hold'em Poker. The odds of being dealt ace king (suited) are 1 in 331. If suited, it is one of the premium hands. If off-suit, it is still a great starting hand.

With AK, you hit at least top pair with top kicker if there is an Ace or a King on the flop which will be a winning hand most of the time. A hand like this is a strong pre flop hand, but quite difficult to play correctly. Pre flop you can play this hand in every position. It is only a question of if you should play slow (just to call) or raising the blinds. You must also observe your opponents play. If there is a big raise before you act or one or more raises behind you, then you have to consider how the raising players have played before this hand… are they playing tight, then there is a possibility they hold a better starting hand… are they playing loose and re-raising you or how have you played your game? If you are a tight player, it is possible they are checking your hand and trying to steal your chips. If you are an active player, they may also have a strong starting hand.

There are many aspects that you must consider if you are playing A and K:
1. Your position
2. Your opponents
3. Your play
4. Your chip stack
5. The part of game if it is a tournament – is it at beginning, middle or late part of the game AK as starting hand really needs to be dealt a good flop!

If you can’t see an ace or a king on the flop you have to get out of this hand after raising your opponents. Otherwise you risk further damage…

Where are the nicknames coming from?  

“Big Slick” - originally was called "Santa Barbara" from the destructive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara. It eventually transformed into "Big Slick", because of the English adjective slick (slippery and appealing) which means ambiguous. A K is a "slippery" hand since it is often misplayed or overplayed and can result in big losses.  

“Anna Kournikova” - nicknamed after the tennis player Anna Kournikova by Vince Van Patton during a commentary of an episode of the WPT because the hand "looks great but never wins".  

"Walking Back To Houston" – used by T.J. Cloutier in his book “Championship No-Limit”, after guys who came up to Dallas to play poker, got busted with Ace-King, and had to walk home.

 

Bad beat and suck out

Anybody who ever played poker has had a bad beat or has experienced suck outs. You start playing with one of the best starting hands and you are thinking “I can’t lose” and then it happens… Your opponent becomes best possible cards on the board and wins the hand. The more cards dealt, the more your favorite hand looks like a losing hand. If you for example have a flush with an ace or full house it is only a small possibility your opponent has a straight flush or quads. Therefore you are statistically right to believe your hand is the best. That’s a bad beat. You are beaten by a “weaker” start hand after the last card was dealt.

Watch this example: BAD BEAT 

 The most of the “calling station” players will play any two cards and rely only on luck. Others fall in love with their start hand and call till the river even though the board has become stronger. They don’t count their outs or pot odds or even think about a possibility that there can be a better flush, straight or more. Then they become lucky and win the hand by a suck out.

Watch this example:  SUCK OUT 

I think the difference between bad beat and suck out is only giving your opponent the possibility to hit his draw. If you give bad pot odds by your betting and lose, it is bad beat, if not and your opponent is calling and wins, it is a suck out.

 

 What is your experience? What is your definition of BAD BEAT and SUCK OUT? Am I right?