What is the cutoff in poker?
The cutoff (CO) is the seat directly to the right of the button. Three players act after it before the flop: the button, the small blind and the big blind. After the flop only the button does, so when the button folds, the cutoff has position on whoever calls for the rest of the hand. The name is usually explained by what a raise here does: it cuts off the button, the seat that would otherwise open the pot with the widest range at the table.
At 6-max the order is under the gun, hijack, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind. At a full-ring table the cutoff is the sixth seat of nine, but the three players behind it are the same, which is why it plays close to the same range in both games. See our guide to poker positions for how every seat compares.
Which hands should you open from the cutoff?
About 28.5% of them: 378 of the 1,326 two-card combos, in the 6-max cash ranges PlusEV drills at 100 big blinds. Every hand is a raise to 2.5 big blinds or a fold. The solver never limps from this seat.
| AA | AKs | AQs | AJs | ATs | A9s | A8s | A7s | A6s | A5s | A4s | A3s | A2s |
| AKo | KK | KQs | KJs | KTs | K9s | K8s | K7s | K6s | K5s | K4s | K3s | K2s |
| AQo | KQo | QJs | QTs | Q9s | Q8s | Q7s | Q6s | Q5s | Q4s | Q3s | Q2s | |
| AJo | KJo | QJo | JJ | JTs | J9s | J8s | J7s | J6s | J5s | J4s | J3s | J2s |
| ATo | KTo | QTo | JTo | TT | T9s | T8s | T7s | T6s | T5s | T4s | T3s | T2s |
| A9o | K9o | Q9o | J9o | T9o | 99 | 98s | 97s | 96s | 95s | 94s | 93s | 92s |
| A8o | K8o | Q8o | J8o | T8o | 98o | 88 | 87s | 86s | 85s | 84s | 83s | 82s |
| A7o | K7o | Q7o | J7o | T7o | 97o | 87o | 77 | 76s | 75s | 74s | 73s | 72s |
| A6o | K6o | Q6o | J6o | T6o | 96o | 86o | 76o | 66 | 65s | 64s | 63s | 62s |
| A5o | K5o | Q5o | J5o | T5o | 95o | 85o | 75o | 65o | 55 | 54s | 53s | 52s |
| A4o | K4o | Q4o | J4o | T4o | 94o | 84o | 74o | 64o | 54o | 44 | 43s | 42s |
| A3o | K3o | Q3o | J3o | T3o | 93o | 83o | 73o | 63o | 53o | 43o | 33 | 32s |
| A2o | K2o | Q2o | J2o | T2o | 92o | 82o | 72o | 62o | 52o | 42o | 32o | 22 |
In shorthand the range is 33+, every suited ace, A9o+, K4s+, KTo+, Q8s+, Q6s, QTo+, J8s+, JTo, T7s+, 97s+, 87s, 76s and 65s, plus seven hands raised only part of the time: 22, A8o, A5o, Q7s, T9o, 86s and 54s. The last hand opened in each row is the part worth memorizing:
| Row | Last hand the cutoff opens |
|---|---|
| Pairs | 33 every time; 22 three times in four |
| Suited aces | A2s: every one of them |
| Offsuit aces | A9o (A8o 62%, A5o about a third) |
| Suited kings | K4s |
| Offsuit kings | KTo |
| Suited queens | Q8s, plus Q6s (Q7s about a third) |
| Offsuit queens and jacks | QTo, JTo (T9o a quarter of the time) |
| Suited jacks and tens | J8s, T7s |
| Suited connectors | 97s, 87s, 76s, 65s (86s 71%, 54s 68%) |
The hijack, one seat earlier, opens 286 combos; the cutoff opens 378. The difference is fours and threes every time, offsuit aces down to A9o, jack-ten offsuit, and more suited kings, queens and connectors. Offsuit hands make up 39% of the cutoff range, against 30% under the gun. King-nine, queen-nine and jack-nine offsuit and ace-seven offsuit stay folds: those are the button’s hands. Our Texas Hold’em charts show every seat side by side, and how to memorize preflop ranges shows how to learn where each row ends.
What happens after you open from the cutoff?
We simulated 200,000 cutoff opens with PlusEV’s 6-max solver ranges at 100 big blinds, card removal included: the cutoff is dealt a hand from its opening range and the button and both blinds act on their own charts.
| After a cutoff open | How often |
|---|---|
| Everyone folds, the cutoff wins the blinds | 47.1% |
| Someone calls first | 27.0% |
| Someone 3-bets first | 25.9% |
The cutoff opens 28.5% of hands and still takes the blinds 47.1% of the time, about as often as under the gun does with a 17.5% range. Fewer players behind means fewer hands that can wake up. The button is the main threat: it 3-bets first 11.1% of the time and calls 5.1%, and a button call leaves the cutoff out of position. The most common single response is the big blind calling, 19.2% of the time, and then the cutoff has position for the rest of the hand.
How often should you steal the blinds from the cutoff?
A steal is an open after everyone before you has folded, so the answer is the opening range: 28.5% of hands. PokerStrategy’s glossary says to aim for 30% to 40%; at 100 big blinds the solver stays just under that, and 40% is the button’s number (40.5%). The pot is folded to the cutoff only about 65% of the time, so you actually steal with about 18% of the hands you are dealt there. Steal more only when the players behind you fold too much.
What should you do when someone opens before you?
3-bet or fold, mostly. In PlusEV’s ranges the cutoff plays about 10% of hands against an open from under the gun or the hijack, and most of what it plays is a re-raise:
| Open from | 3-bet | Call | Fold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the gun | 7.4% | 2.8% | 89.7% |
| Hijack | 9.2% | 1.2% | 89.5% |
That makes 72% of the cutoff’s continuing hands a 3-bet against under the gun, and 88% against the hijack. Calls are rare because three players still act behind you and can squeeze, and a call gives up the initiative in a pot you will often play out of position against the button. Hands that open happily from the cutoff fold here: ace-jack, king-jack and queen-jack offsuit fold every time against an under-the-gun open, and king-queen offsuit folds 76% of the time. Aces, kings and ace-king suited 3-bet every time.
Against a limper the same logic applies, raise or fold, though that part is standard theory: the solver never limps from the seats before the cutoff, so our charts have no limped pots to measure.
What should you do when someone 3-bets your cutoff open?
Continue with about half your range against the button, and less against the blinds:
| 3-bet from | Size | Continue | Call | 4-bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Button | 7.5bb | 52.8% | 32.4% | 20.3% |
| Small blind | 12bb | 43.2% | 31.7% | 11.4% |
| Big blind | 13bb | 38.2% | 27.4% | 10.8% |
Each hand is counted by how often the cutoff opens it. The blinds 3-bet bigger because they will be out of position, and the price cuts your defence. Kings 4-bet every time against every seat; aces 4-bet against the button and the small blind and call a quarter of the time against the big blind. Small pairs from deuces to sevens call every time against the button, while against the big blind deuces through fives fold 72% to 100% of the time. Ace-jack offsuit folds 64% of the time to a button 3-bet and every time to a big-blind one. Under the gun defends more often against the button (57.7%) because it opened fewer weak hands to start with. Every spot is on our facing a 3-bet charts, and the re-raise itself is covered in the 4-bet guide.
Cutoff vs button: what is the difference?
| Cutoff | Button | |
|---|---|---|
| Players behind before the flop | 3 | 2 |
| Opening range (6-max, 100bb) | 28.5%, 378 combos | 40.5%, 538 combos |
| Open size | 2.5bb | 3bb |
| Position after the flop | Last, if the button folds | Always last |
The button opens about 160 combos more than the cutoff, mostly offsuit hands the cutoff folds: king-nine, queen-nine, jack-nine and ten-nine offsuit, and ace-seven down to ace-four offsuit.
What is the hijack in poker?
The hijack (HJ) is the seat directly to the right of the cutoff, two seats to the right of the button. At 6-max it is the second seat to act before the flop, after under the gun; at a full-ring table the lojack sits before it.
With four players behind it, the hijack opens 21.6% of hands in PlusEV’s 6-max ranges, 286 combos, between under the gun’s 17.5% and the cutoff’s 28.5%. It folds the small pairs part of the time, every offsuit ace below ten and jack-ten offsuit, all of which the cutoff opens.
What are the most common mistakes in the cutoff?
- Opening the button’s range. King-nine, queen-nine and jack-nine offsuit and ace-seven offsuit are folds here and opens one seat later.
- Calling opens. Against an earlier open the cutoff 3-bets far more often than it calls; a flat call invites a squeeze from the three players behind.
- Defending the same against every 3-bet. Continue with 52.8% of your range against the button and 38.2% against the big blind.
- Limping. The solver limps 0% of hands from the cutoff; our limping guide shows the one seat where it does.
- Raising bigger with strong hands. One size for every hand.
How do you play after the flop from the cutoff?
This part is standard theory rather than our data. Called by a blind, you have position and the stronger range, so you can bet often and small on high, dry boards and keep the initiative. Called by the button, you act first on every street: check more, and bet mostly for value.
The cutoff is the seat to the right of the button, and the second best seat at the table. Open about 28.5% of hands with one raise size, 3-bet or fold against earlier opens, and defend about half your range against a button 3-bet and less against the blinds. The PlusEV preflop trainer drills these spots until you stop needing the chart.
Quick answers
What does cutoff mean in poker?
The cutoff, or CO, is the seat directly to the right of the button. Before the flop the button and both blinds act after it; after the flop only the button does.
Why is it called the cutoff?
The usual explanation is that a raise from this seat cuts off the button, the player who would otherwise open the pot with the widest range at the table.
Is the cutoff a good position in poker?
It is the second best seat at the table, after the button. It opens the second widest range, and when the button folds it acts last on every street after the flop.
How often should you steal from the cutoff?
When the pot is folded to you, raise about 28.5% of hands: 378 of the 1,326 possible combos in the 6-max cash ranges PlusEV drills at 100 big blinds.
How much should you raise from the cutoff?
2.5 big blinds in PlusEV's 6-max cash ranges, the same size for every hand you open. The solver limps 0% of hands from the cutoff.
What is the difference between the cutoff and the hijack?
The hijack sits one seat to the right of the cutoff, with four players behind it instead of three. In 6-max cash at 100 big blinds the hijack opens 21.6% of hands and the cutoff 28.5%.
Is the cutoff different at a full-ring table?
Barely. The cutoff is always the seat to the right of the button, with the same three players behind it, so its opening range changes far less with table size than the early seats do.