What Does Out of Position Mean In Poker?

1 minute

Last Updated: December 19, 2023

What Does Out of Position Mean In Poker

In poker, the term “out of position” describes a player acting before his opponent in a betting round.

Players who are out of position don’t have the privilege of seeing what their opponent will do before they act, which puts them at a disadvantage during the hand and does not allow them to adjust their strategy based on their opponent's action.

For this reason, poker players always emphasize which player is out of position and which one is in position when talking about a hand.

The important thing to note is that the only player at the poker table who is guaranteed to be out of position postflop during a hand is the SB, while all other players, except the BTN, may or may not be out of position during a hand depending on how the action goes.

Out Of Position Example:

The UTG, HJ, and CO fold, BTN 2-bet to 3bb, SB calls, and BB fold. The flop comes Jc 7d 8h, and the out of position player checks.

After the preflop betting round has ended, two players remain in the hand, the SB and the BTN.

The player on the BTN is last to act in each postflop betting street, which means that the SB player will play out of position for the rest of the hand.

For this reason, the SB player is called the “out of position player,” who will be at a strategic disadvantage in each betting round.

<< View All Poker Terms

ONLINE POKER:

RESOURCES:

Disclaimer: content on mypokercoaching.com may contain affiliate links to online gambling operators and other sites. When you use our affiliate links, we may earn a commission based on our terms of service, but that does not influence the content on the site since we strictly follow our editorial guidelines. Learn more about how we make money and why we always stick to unbiased content. All content on this site is intended for those 21 or older or of legal gambling age in their jurisdiction.

Copyright © iBetMedia UAB. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.