How to Play Out of Position in Poker Without Bleeding Chips
Table Of Contents
For many players, position is something they’re told to respect before they fully understand why.
That was the case for Aaron Barone. Speaking on the 888poker YouTube channel, the ambassador admitted he underestimated just how important position really is.
Early in his career, he focused almost entirely on hand strength. Did he flop big? Did he have the nuts? Was it time to bluff?
Only later did he realize that position often determines how large a pot you can win and how much you might lose. And nowhere is that more obvious than when you are playing out of position (OOP).
What is Position in Poker?
Position in poker refers to where you are seated relative to the dealer button and, more importantly, when you act during a hand.
Early position includes under the gun and the next seats to act. Middle position covers spots like the hijack and cutoff. Late position is the button, followed by the small blind and big blind.
If you are in position, you act after your opponent postflop. If you are out of position, you act first.
That simple difference changes everything. Acting last gives you more information. Acting first forces you to make decisions without knowing what your opponent will do.
Why is Playing OOP Harder?
Barone points out that two core pillars of poker are getting value and bluffing effectively. Both become harder when you are out of position.
Think about building a big pot with a strong hand. Ideally, you want to bet the flop, turn, and river. When you are in position, you can keep reopening the action and continue betting.
Out of position, you often have to check. And when you check, you give your opponent the option to check back. On later streets, that can cost you an entire bet.
By the time you reach the river in a sizable pot, that missing bet matters. Pots tend to grow larger when you are in position because you control whether the betting continues. Out of position, you are often reacting instead of driving the action.
The same applies to bluffing. It is much easier to apply pressure when you close the action rather than open it.
How Should I Adapt When Playing OOP?
You cannot always avoid playing out of position, especially from the blinds. So adjustments are key.
The first and most important adaptation is tightening your range. Because it is harder to bluff and harder to extract value, you want to enter pots with stronger hands on average. That decreases your margin for error and makes postflop play more straightforward.
Postflop, you can introduce more check-raises against opponents who c-bet too frequently. Against players who bluff too often, you may check-call more with strong hands to trap them.
Barone also highlights a critical preflop adjustment: three-bet sizing. Many players use the same sizing whether they are in position or out. That is a mistake.
When you are out of position, you should typically three-bet larger. You are at a structural disadvantage, so you want to charge your opponent more to continue. In position, you can give a slightly better price because you will have the postflop edge.
What Are Some Common Mistakes?
The biggest leak players have out of position is playing too many hands.
Calling from the big blind can feel cheap. Completing from the small blind can feel tempting. You may convince yourself you are getting a good price.
But the hand does not end with your preflop call. You still have to navigate a flop, turn, and river. Those bets will be far larger than the amount you just invested.
Calling wide might seem profitable in the moment, but what happens when you reach the river in a 100 big blind pot holding a marginal hand?
Short-term price does not justify long-term pain.
How Do I Improve at Playing OOP?
Many players avoid studying uncomfortable spots. When they feel unsure, they prefer to move on to situations where they feel confident.
Barone suggests doing the opposite. The spots where you feel least comfortable are often where you have the most to gain.
Review hands where you were out of position. Pay attention to range construction. Experiment with larger 3-bets. Practice disciplined folds from the blinds.
Most importantly, do not be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.
Position may be invisible on the felt, but it shapes every decision you make. And the better you understand how to handle being out of position, the more complete your overall game will become.
