Some newbie questions..

[MaxAA]

Okay..

I play a lot of online poker but am fairly new to the game.. I hear lots of players and pros talk about how important playing the blinds and how important position is in relation to Texas Hold 'Em. I hear Chris Ferguson say, "I'm going to move all in when I get to the big blind" or Phil Ivey say, "I'm going to raise 4 times the big blind" when I'm watching them play on Full Tilt and PS. And they also talk about how important position is on their decision of whether to call, raise, or fold. Can someone maybe explain this a little more in depth for me? These may be some really DUMB questions, but I just cannot get a grasp on why these things are so important.

[Poker Clif]

I'll take the one about raising 4 times the big blind, since raise sizing was something that I had trouble with.

In NLHE, bets are usually counted one of two ways: how many big blinds, or % of the pot.

A standard preflop raise is usually 3 times the big blind, though some people use 3 1/2 or 4 big blinds. This is considered a reasonable amount to accomplish two of the main purposes of a raise: to either thin the field (so that your good hand doesn't have too much competition), or to get more money in the pot (if you have a very good chance of having the best hand at showdown).

In general, preflop rasies are counted in blinds, and postflop raises are counted in pot size, for example, "a standard continuation bet of 1/2 the pot".

In limit hold 'em, where bets are standardized, counting can be by bets, i.e., "he called two big bets". In no limit, where bets can be any size up to all-in, blinds or pot sized are used as counting conventions.

"Standard" raises can be adjusted depending on such things as the position of the raiser, or how many limpers are already in the pot. It may be frustrating, but it's true, that the answer to any poker question is, "It depends."

[Poker Clif]

[ QUOTE ]
Okay..

I play a lot of online poker but am fairly new to the game.. I hear lots of players and pros talk about how important playing the blinds and how important position is in relation to Texas Hold 'Em. I hear Chris Ferguson say, "I'm going to move all in when I get to the big blind" or Phil Ivey say, "I'm going to raise 4 times the big blind" when I'm watching them play on Full Tilt and PS. And they also talk about how important position is on their decision of whether to call, raise, or fold. Can someone maybe explain this a little more in depth for me? These may be some really DUMB questions, but I just cannot get a grasp on why these things are so important.

[/ QUOTE ]

IMPORTANCE OF POSITION

First, I should tell you that most of your questions are covered in any good poker book, so that's a good place to start. Theory of Poker, by Sklansky, is one of the best books for a beginner, and within it you will find a good discussion of position.

If you don't have money to buy poker books, that's what libraries are for. I live in a small town that, believe it or not, has a library that does not have a single book on either chess or poker. (They tried to have a NLHE tournement at the Elks Club and five people showed up!)

But the interlibrary loan system solves that easily enough, if you can wait up to a week or two for the book that you request.

A good poker book will cover postion in great detail. One book I've been going through lately breaks it down to small stacks/loose games, small stacks/tight games, and then recommends stating hands for early position, middle position, late position, small blind, and big blind in each of those situations.

But in general, here's the deal: The earlier the position, the more careful you have to be.

If you are first to act and you bet 33 to try to flop a set, betting and raising may force you to fold that hand without seeing the flop, and your bet becomes money (or chips) that you'll never see again.

Contrast that with holding 33 on the button. If it's to you, four players have called but no one has raised, you now only have to worry about the blinds raising you. Plus, with four players already in, you're getting the pot and implied odds to play a speculative hand.

The stronger the hand, the earlier you can play it. If, instead of 33, you have QQ in early position, you're much less worried about someone raising or even reraising you. You WANT action with this hand.

Keep asking questions, get Theory of Poker, play lots of hands, and you'll be amazed at how much more you know three months from now.

Good luck!