What is a position taker?

It simply means someone who has had a bet.

You take a position by being long or short, in other words by laying or backing.

Perfectly defined by maggot.

I think it's used to differentiate between :

* those who take positions with the intention profiting from a favourable change in market price (position takers)
from
* whose who are 'given' positions (as market makers) and intend to profit from finding / being 'given' an offsetting position at a better price

A position taker is someone who takes a position.

The replies so far could appear confusing, they do to me, so in simple terms splasher60:

A 'trader' will back to lay or lay to back, hence the term trader, trading out of his 'position'.

A 'position taker' will place a bet and leave it to run its course, no trading, hence he's taken a 'position'.

i thought it just meant someone who has a standpoint position, back or lay, with an anticipated movement of in-play odds that u except to swing your way with relative ease i.e small risk trader.

for example in tennis, if you have two evenly matched players, and player A is serving, the odds of him wiining the next game are in his and your favour simply because he is serving, so backing him you are positioning yourself to to make a quick back to lay trade

i am no expert, but that's what i thought

I'd say a position taker is either a punter just having a bet or someone with a bet/liability for longer/crucial periods of time , therebye taking high risk.
A position taker could be soemone having a bet on a football match pre off trading out(wheater red or green) after a goal or maybe at half time or someone betting on golf adjusting positions inbetween rounds.

a position taker is someone who has an outright bet, back or lay, because they think the price represents value.

a position assumer is the same person the following wednesday if it wins.