Early position identifies the first three 3 seats to the immediate left of the dealer. (Remember, the two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and big blind and must place their bet before the cards are dealt. During the Pre-Flop round, the small blind and big blind are the last to act. Learn to play poker position and why it is important. In Texas Hold'em and the majority of beginner-level poker varieties, the general rule is that the later your position, the better, so early position requires a player to really be careful about what cards he or she plays.

One of the first and most important things to learn when playing Texas Hold'em is which starting hands are worth staying in with -- and which you should fold. Deciding whether or not those two down cards you're first dealt are playable is the most important decision in every hand because while you have to be in it to win it, you also can't lose money you haven't bet.
Since the two hole or pocket cards are the only things that will make your hand better or worse than any other players, it's important that they are good strong cards.
If you're new to Hold'em, begin by learning these two lists:

And play only the cards in the 10 best list and always fold the hands in the worst hands list. Doing this alone will improve your results.
But to really succeed as a good Hold'em player, you need to vary your starting hand selection standards depending on your poker position. Read more about understanding poker position if it's a new concept to you. It's important because you need to tighten up your standards in early position (such as the blinds) and can loosen up your standards in late postion (such as sitting on the button).

Here's a quick guide to what Hold'em starting hands to play in different positions:
In early position, only play:

• High Pairs: Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack
• High Suited Cards: Ace-King, Ace-Queen, King-Queen, Ace-Jack, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10
• High Unsuited Cards: Ace-King, Ace-Queen, King-Queen

In middle position, you can also play:

• High Suited Cards: Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10
• High Unsuited Cards: Ace-Jack, Ace-10, King-Jack, etc.
• Middle Pairs: 10-10, 9-9, 8-8

In late position you can add:

• Suited connectors, such as 9-10, 7-8, etc.
• Small pairs all the way down to 2s
• Ace-littles: A-8, A-6

Texas Holdem Early Position Calculator

Now, this is not an absolute guide. Just because I say you can play ace-little in late position, that doesn't mean you always should. Almost none of the hands that I added for a middle or late position should be played if there is a large raise before you get to act, and definitely should be tossed if there are two raises in front of you. The reason the hands are more playable in later positions is precise because you'll have more information about what the other players are going to do, and if everyone's just calling or folding, there's a better chance that one of the second-best hands above is the best hand at the table.
All that said, this is a rough guide, and it also helps to be able to read the most basic of poker tells and pay attention to the other players playing styles (are they tight? loose? etc.) so you can guess what hands you might be up against. Still, if you stick to this what-to-hold and what-to-fold guide, your poker profits should grow.

Texas Holdem Early Position Rankings

Texas Holdem is the game of patience, and you will hear this time after time from me. In a previous article, I talked about the early stages of a “sit and go,” and this article I will teach you how to play early position, in detail, in the early stages of a “sit and go.” This can be quite complex for beginners which is why you should learn more about the tips and tricks that you can use during the game onhttps://koinqq.com/.

When playing early position, we are talking about the first three players to act, after the big blind. Early position in a “sit and go” should rarely be played, and the reason I say this, well, you need a monster hand. Remember you are playing to reach top three, not building a chip stack to compete in a tournament. There are plethora strategies other players will preach, but I’m giving you the low down of what works, and this applies to mostly online poker; however, they do work for brick and mortar play.

Texas Holdem Early Position Drills

All right, early position plays, let’s say your dealt AQ–what do you do. Strategically, you will through this hand in the muck, yes, you will fold this hand, and even if it’s suited. If you’re going to make it to the late stages of this “sit and go,” you will have to learn to play situational poker. For instance, play the situation at hand, and trust me, there isn’t any situation going on in the early stages of a “sit and go,” that will allow you to jeopardize all your chips. The only hands you will jeopardize you tourney life are, AA, KK, QQ, and possibly AK (I will fold this to a tight player, and call a loose player). This goes for any position, don’t jeopardize your tourney life pre-flop with anything less than those four hands. Post flop is a completely different ball game.

Texas Holdem Early Position Strategy

There are too many players to act after you, when you are playing in early position. Players you will encounter will vary, and the average mix of players will be, two or three tight players, two or three aggressive players, and the rest are simply said, “donkeys.” Don’t be one of those players telling a story, because a donkey called your raise and out drew you. The only way to play a donkey in a “sit and go,” is to set them up. Don’t challenge them, you will go home with nothing but a “bad beat” story.

Many people will probably argue with me on this, but here it is. I don’t get in-depth with the odds when it comes to “sit and goes.” My reasoning, well, this is a survival game, and being knocked out, because my odds were up, isn’t a consistent enough way to make it to the top three. Sometimes you have to bend the poker rules a little to get where you want to be. You can play to take top three, without having to make calls because you are getting the right odds. Throw that in the dumpster, and play strategically, to place in the top three. If you follow my simple tips you will make it to the later stages most of the time. The only time you are knocked out in the early stages, is going all in with our AA, KK, QQ, and AK.