In Position
In position (IP) means you act after your opponent on each postflop street. You see their decision first, which makes every choice easier.
Being in position (IP) means you will act after your opponent on the flop, turn and river. If you are on the button and the big blind calls your raise, you are in position: the big blind must act first on every street, and you respond. The opposite is being out of position.
How to tell who is in position
After the flop, action goes clockwise starting from the first active player left of the button. So among the players still in the hand, whoever is closest to the button's right side (with the button itself acting last) is in position. Some quick examples:
- Button versus anyone: the button is always in position.
- Cutoff versus big blind: the cutoff is in position.
- Under the gun versus hijack: the hijack is in position.
- Small blind versus big blind: the big blind is in position postflop.
Note that preflop order is different, because the blinds act last before the flop. Position talk almost always refers to postflop play.
The advantages of position
- Information: you see whether your opponent checks or bets before you act.
- Free cards: when your opponent checks, you can check behind with a draw and see the next card for free.
- Pot control: with a medium-strength hand, you can check behind and keep the pot small.
- Better bluffing: a check from your opponent often signals weakness you can attack.
- Realizing equity: because you face fewer tough decisions, you tend to get to showdown with your fair share of the pot more often.
Example hand
You call a cutoff raise on the button with 9♦ 8♦. The flop is J♦ 7♣ 2♦: you have a flush draw plus a gutshot to a straight (any 10). The cutoff bets half the pot and you call. On the turn, a blank 3♠ falls, and the cutoff checks. Because you are in position, you can choose: check behind for a free river card with your 12 outs, or bet as a semi-bluff to win the pot now. Either way, you decide with full information about the turn action.
Had you been out of position with the same hand, you would have had to act first on the turn, without knowing whether the cutoff would keep betting.
Using position in practice
- Play more hands from late seats, where you are more often in position.
- Call raises more freely in position than out of position.
- When in position against a player who checks, bet with a plan: value, semi-bluff, or a clear bluffing reason.
Frequently asked questions
What does IP mean in poker?
IP stands for in position, meaning you act after your opponent on the flop, turn and river.
Is the big blind ever in position?
Yes, but only against the small blind. Against every other seat, the big blind acts first after the flop.
Why is being in position an advantage?
You see what your opponent does before you decide, which helps with free cards, pot control, bluffing and value betting.
Related poker terms
- Out of Position — Out of position (OOP) means you must act before your opponent on each postflop street, which gives them extra information and makes your decisions harder.
- Position — Position in poker is where you sit relative to the button, which decides when you act. Acting later gives you more information and more control.
- Button — The button is a disc marking the nominal dealer in Hold'em. The player on the button acts last after the flop, making it the best seat at the table.
- Semi-Bluff — A semi-bluff is a bet or raise with a drawing hand that is behind now but can improve. It wins if opponents fold or if you hit your draw.
- Equity — Equity is your share of the pot based on how often your hand would win if all remaining cards were dealt, expressed as a percentage.