Develop Good Positional Awareness

Many players seem confused over positional play in poker. It's very simple to learn, and by doing so correctly, I can guarantee your game will improve overnight. I could probably package this information and use it to sell an amazing "winning poker strategy guide". Yes, and by doing so I will join the ranks of millions of ebook providers, charging you for information which can be found on genuine poker sites, such as this. There is no big secret to positional poker play, the only secret is taking a bit of time out to make sure you know and understand positional play.

A dealer button is used in 32 Card Draw. Your position is where you are seated in relation to this dealer button.

The power of position comes in the form of additional information. If you are first to play, you have no gauge on the other players hands. If you are last to play, you know how much money it will cost you to stay in the pot, you will know how many players are left in the pot, you will have a good idea if you are up against a good pre-draw hand or not.

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Table Positioning & Positional Play

 

If you are playing 32 Card Draw you are playing more of a shorthanded game as there is a maximum of 5 players per table.

 

Each positional segment has it's own name

The Button

Small Blind

Big Blind

Early Position

Middle Position

Late Position

To make it easier to visualize I have added the diagram above. I have given each player a name. I will talk you through each position and how it should affect your approach to the game. I will use the diagram as guidance.

The Button - Alf

Small Blind - Vee

Big Blind - Paul

Early Position - John

Middle Position - Sue

Late Position - Alf

The Button

Alf is on the button. This is the best position. He does not have to contribute to the pot. He is the last person to play before the blinds. He can sit back and watch what John and Sue does. If either of them put in a bet and Alf is sitting with nothing, it is a easy fold. If John and Sue both fold, Alf may be sitting with nothing but he knows the pot can now only be won by himself, Vee or Paul. Alf can use this additional information to play the exact same hand differently.

Small Blind

Vee is on the small blind. She is forced to pay a half bet to the pot before seeing her cards. This position can be very tricky, you cannot fold every small blind because you are throwing away money already invested in the pot. You cannot call every bet because some hands are not worth calling.

Vee should watch out for others. She should take note of any bets made. She should now have enough information to decide whether to forfeit her blind payment or contribute further to stay in the hand.

Big Blind

Paul is playing from the big blind. He is forced to pay twice the amount of the small blind before he sees his cards. He might have poor cards and the betting has gone wild before the betting gets to him.

The Big Blind is seen as a bad position. As the name suggests, you are "blindly paying into the pot." The news is not always bleak from the big blind position, if Paul is sitting with a monster hand, he knows who is in, how much is in the pot and if he plays his cards right, he can bulk up the pot, then take it down.

Early Position

John is playing from the early position. This is the worst spot to be in. He is first to play. He has no information other than the cards he has in front of him. If he plays a mediocre hand from this position and it gets called or raised he is in trouble. He has not paid into the pot and it's free to fold. A raise from an early position is usually seen as strong because the player, John in this case is betting into the pot with very little information to go on.

Middle Position

Sue is playing in middle position. She knows she has 3 players behind her, Alf, Vee and Paul. As 32 Card Draw is played 5 handed, it is considered shorthanded. Sue doesn't have a lot of information to work on but something it better than nothing, plus she gets a free look at her cards before she decides if the pot is worth entering. If John bets, Sue can re-raise in the hope of isolating John, this results in a heads up situation, eliminating drawing opportunities of others.

Late Position

Alf is sitting in the best position, the late position. He gets to see his cards without contributing a dime to the pot. He knows how John and Sue have played. He has a lot of information in front of him. if no-one has entered the pot, he only has the players on the blinds to beat. At 32 Card Draw , Alf would be in the late position and on the button, In other games such as holdem, tables have up to 10 players, and there would be a couple of late positions.

Factors to Consider

You usually need to be strong entering a hand from an early position. You should consider the possibility of players betting after you, and reassess your playable hands, as you decode the information laid out before you. Don't be afraid to pass up your blinds but don't let your opponents brush you aside. Use positional play to decide your next move!

Where can I play 32 Draw Poker?

32 card draw is exclusively played on the Entraction network. probably the most famous and reputable site on the network is devilfishpoker.com I suggest you stick with established sites when choosing somewhere to play.

As a result of the U.I.G.E.A. , players based in American cannot play real money games on the Entraction Network, this means they cannot play this form of draw poker online. For real money US players, I suggest either pokerstars.com or fulltiltpoker.com Although you won't be able to play 32 Card draw, you have some great alternatives.