Most of us learn early in our poker education that having position on our opponents is always much better than being out of position against them. This is fundamentally true in all forms of poker, and especially in no-limit hold'em. By having position, we are able to act with knowledge of our opponent's actions and, as a result, have more information available than when we have to act first.
There are a few mistakes that most no-limit hold'em players make when playing out of position. Familiarizing yourself with these mistakes can help you avoid making them and perhaps help reinforce the lesson that it's better to play in position than out of position.
What follows are five common mistakes that no-limit hold'em players make when playing out of position. These mistakes occur frequently in both cash games and tournaments and can be detrimental to players of both types.
First mistake: playing too many hands
First and foremost, as a general rule, you should aim to play more hands from late position (from the cutoff (CO) and the button (BU)) and fewer hands from under the gun (UTG) and middle position (MP).
This doesn't mean that you should never raise from early position with strong starting hands or even occasionally with medium/weak hands (to balance out your preflop raising range). But some players overdo this and, as a result, set themselves up for more mistakes when they have to play out of position after the flop.
Second mistake: calling too many 3-bets
Still talking about preflop problems, some players who have the habit of opening raises from early/middle positions with non-premium starting hands consequently have difficulty folding to reraises from late positions.
For example, the action folds to the player in middle position with KJo who spots three tight players to his left and decides to raise. However, the cutoff player 3-bets and the table folds back to the initial raiser. Folding this hand is perfectly acceptable and can actually reflect well on you when you raise with a really strong starting hand from early/middle position and are faced with a 3-bet again.
Depending on the player making the 3bet, folding strong hands like AQ or middle pairs may also be acceptable. Even calling a 3bet with JJ out of position is not going to make you money in the long run. Don't be stubborn about calling 3bets out of position with hands that are difficult to play without hitting something good on the flop.
Third mistake: playing too passively
Moving on to post-flop mistakes, it is natural (and even correct in many cases) to become passive when playing out of position – this means making a lot of checks and calls in an attempt to control the pot and avoid getting raised and having to fold. However, very often, players who act first on the flop end up getting used to being passive and fail to recognize when it is correct to make more aggressive plays such as leading with bets (known as donk betting).
Playing too many hands out of position can even cause some players to start playing more passively in other situations, including hands where you have position on your opponent. Often when you are out of position you need to play a “defensive” style, but if this becomes your default way of playing you will find it difficult to pressure your opponents as you would like to.
Fourth mistake: not check-raising
This mistake could be considered a variation of the previous one – that is, leaving your passive play out of position and disregarding the possibility of check-raising in situations where doing so would be profitable.
Whether you do it with a strong hand (like two pair, trips, or better) or as a bluff, the check-raise is a show of strength that puts your opponent on the defensive. Let's say your opponent raised from the button with ATs and you just called from the blinds and check-raised on a K74r flop. It doesn't matter if you hit your hand or not, your opponent, who didn't hit anything, will have a hard time continuing in the hand after your aggressive play.
However, players who play a lot of hands out of position are often unaware of other fundamentals, such as how check-raising can be a powerful way to seize the initiative from an opponent who has position on you, allowing you to take control of a hand post-flop. The fact is, if you're going to play hands out of position, you have to be comfortable with check-raising and be able to recognize when to do so.
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Fifth mistake: Check-raising too much
Finally, and showing the other side of the aggression prism, is the player who check-raises a lot when playing out of position thinking that it is the only way to play a hand post-flop when out of position.
In some cases, check-raising too much is just an extension of reckless thinking that encourages someone to play too many hands out of position. Occasionally those with limit hold'em experience may check-raise more than they should in no limit hold'em since this is a play more commonly seen in limit hold'em.
In any situation, check-raising all the time can become a very exploitable pattern, with opponents knowing they can check for a free card or bet with strong hands knowing you will help them bloat the pot.
Conclusion
Sometimes you don't have much of a choice when it comes to playing post-flop out of position, such as when you raise pre-flop and someone calls from the cutoff or button, or when you enter the hand from the blinds. However, be careful about getting involved in hands too often out of position, and when you are playing out of position, keep in mind the other common mistakes that players make that compromise their bottom line.
Translated and adapted from the original: Five Common Mistakes When Playing from Out of Position
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