Position is one of the hardest concepts to explain, and one of the hardest to work out for yourself.
Its easy to explain the theory (Poker is a game of information, if you are playing in position, you know what your opponent has done when you come to act, so you have an advantage) but much harder show why this information is so valuable.
As I've moved up the buy-in levels (from $5 to $55) I've realised at each step that its more important than I'd understood previously - and I've no doubt got some way to go.
Two illustrations:
1. I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day who plays pretty high stakes 6-max cash. He claimed position was so important that there people didn't defend their blinds - but instead defended their button.
2. In
this youtube hand (famously the highest value cash hand in televised poker) Antonio Esfandiari holds AQ in the big blind, and folds to a raise and re-raise from Hansen and Negranu, commenting he doesn't want to play it out of position. I was staggered. If Esfandiari isn't good enough to play that out of position, then who am I? (The answer is if I have an edge on my opponents I can).
OP did a very good job of explaining how to adapt your game for the basics of position (especially pre-flop) , but I've still to read a good explanation of why its so important, and although I've managed to work it out, I struggle to explain it to Newbies.
BTW, this post highlights the huge range in play at the buy-ins this "Small Stakes" forum covers. You try and of the raising range mentioned from the button in a $55 game, and you'll lose your chips PDQ.
BTW BTW small and high aren't opposites. We should have a small and large stakes forum, or a high and low stakes forum.