Is having good position ever bad?

[the shadow]

It's your lucky day. You've survived to reach heads up at the WSOP final table (or maybe it's just 1 of 16 SNGs you're multi-tabling [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]). You and the villian have equal stacks. Your relative skills are the same. Even better, you're dealt AA. Best of all, you get to choose whether you play your cards in the SB or BB.

Which is greatest EV -- playing AA in the SB or the BB?

Please pick and explain why. To put it more generally, is it ever bad (lower EV) to have good position (acting last)?

In case you're interested, this is a follow-up to Position, position, position.

The Shadow

[wuwei]

I didn't vote because I think it depends on the opponent.

In general, there's something to be said for having right of first bluff heads up after seeing the flop. That's one instance I can think of where being out of position is a benefit.

[Phoenix1010]

Situation dependent. There's no way that having position in this situation is "bad," although with a tight-aggressive opponent and very high blinds, I think it's very likely that having it in the BB is higher EV. The BB has position preflop, which is where most of the action takes place in high blind:stack ratio situations. Almost every player who knows what they're doing heads up has a very wide raising-calling gap, that is, they will raise in the small blind with a lot more hands than they would call with out of the big blind. Therefore, you are much more likely to get action when you have position, because your opponent will open raise blind steal with a lot of hands, but will not call your standard raise very often. You could of course limp and hope they bite, but it can be a risky play to let your opponent see three cards before they decide what they want to do with the hand. Limps also tend to give your hand away if you've been doing a lot of raising (as you should be). Either way, limping is much like being in the BB anyway, since you're giving up your opening ability and putting the action in your opponent's hands, which is exactly the situation when you're in the big blind, except your opponent doesn't have the option of seeing a flop for free. Having AA heads up is always good. However, I think you get more value from it in the BB.

-Phoenix

[the shadow]

For the majority who prefers to play AA in the BB, how will you feel if the SB doesn't even complete -- [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] or [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]?

The Shadow (who doesn't feel unappreciated by SuitedSixes)

[the shadow]

According to the votes so far, most posters think that it's higher EV to play AA heads up from the BB. However, according to the PokerRoom EV stats, it's higher EV to play AA from the SB.

That's true for each of the top three pairs:

Cards SB BB/D
AA 1.16 1.13
KK 0.98 0.95
QQ 0.88 0.85

In each case, playing a monster PP from the SB has higher EV than the same hand from the BB. The edge isn't inconsequential. The EV of playing top PPs from the SB is 2.7% to 3.5% higher than from the BB.

I'm not sure why. My speculation is that AA, KK and QQ lose some value in the BB because the SB doesn't always complete.

[The Yugoslavian]

Sometimes good position is being in the SB or BB.....however, generally late position is better.

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Yugoslav

[lorinda]

I'm not sure why.

I voted SB because in the pots where your opponent has trash you win a BB instead of a SB.

Lori

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
how will you feel if the SB doesn't even complete


[/ QUOTE ]

That's why I voted SB.

[papa_georgio]

the only time i hate being in late position is when someone steals the blinds before i do. sometimes i will reraise if i have the proper cards, but if they go all-in i just let them have it and wait my turn.