Tip #15 - Don't call raises with garbage hands just because you're in late position

While it's true that position is one of the most important factors in poker, having position alone isn't enough to make a bad hand playable. Many players make the mistake of calling raises with weak hands simply because they're on the button or in the cutoff, thinking their positional advantage will make up for their hand's weakness.

Here are the problems with calling raises with weak hands in late position:

• You're still likely to be dominated by the raiser's range
• Position helps you play a hand better, but it doesn't make bad cards into good ones
• You'll often face difficult decisions when you make a weak pair
• Even with position, you're still putting money in with the worst hand

Instead of calling raises with weak hands in late position, you should:

• Fold your trash hands - position doesn't make 7-2 offsuit playable
• Save your calls for hands that have some potential (suited connectors, small pairs)
• Consider re-raising with some hands to take advantage of your position
• Wait for better spots where you have both position AND a decent hand

Late position is most valuable when you have:

• Drawing hands that can see cheap cards and win big pots
• Medium-strength hands that can extract value when you're ahead
• Hands that can win both when you hit and when you miss (through bluffing)
• Hands that play well against the specific opponents in the pot

Remember that position is just one factor in the equation. While it's a very important factor, it needs to work in conjunction with hand strength, opponent tendencies, and pot odds. Don't let the advantage of position trick you into playing hands that should be folded.