What is the hijack in poker?

The hijack (HJ) is the seat two to the right of the button, directly before the cutoff. Four players act after it before the flop: the cutoff, the button and both blinds. The name is usually explained by what a raise here does: it hijacks the steal from the cutoff and the button, the two seats that would otherwise be first to attack the blinds.

At 6-max the order is under the gun, hijack, cutoff, button, small blind and big blind, so the hijack acts second. At a full-ring table it acts fifth of nine, after under the gun, UTG+1, UTG+2 and the lojack. The four players behind it are the same at both tables. Our guide to poker positions shows how every seat compares.

Which hands should you open from the hijack?

About 21.6% of them: 286 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.

Hijack opening range, 6-max cash, 100bb. Red is a raise; split cells are raised part of the time.
AAAKsAQsAJsATsA9sA8sA7sA6sA5sA4sA3sA2s
AKoKKKQsKJsKTsK9sK8sK7sK6sK5sK4sK3sK2s
AQoKQoQQQJsQTsQ9sQ8sQ7sQ6sQ5sQ4sQ3sQ2s
AJoKJoQJoJJJTsJ9sJ8sJ7sJ6sJ5sJ4sJ3sJ2s
AToKToQToJToTTT9sT8sT7sT6sT5sT4sT3sT2s
A9oK9oQ9oJ9oT9o9998s97s96s95s94s93s92s
A8oK8oQ8oJ8oT8o98o8887s86s85s84s83s82s
A7oK7oQ7oJ7oT7o97o87o7776s75s74s73s72s
A6oK6oQ6oJ6oT6o96o86o76o6665s64s63s62s
A5oK5oQ5oJ5oT5o95o85o75o65o5554s53s52s
A4oK4oQ4oJ4oT4o94o84o74o64o54o4443s42s
A3oK3oQ3oJ3oT3o93o83o73o63o53o43o3332s
A2oK2oQ2oJ2oT2o92o82o72o62o52o42o32o22
FoldRaise 2.5

In shorthand the range is 55+, every suited ace, ATo+, K6s+, KTo+, Q9s+, J9s+, T8s+ and 98s, plus a few hands raised part of the time. The last hand opened in each row is the part worth memorizing:

RowLast hand the hijack opens
Pairs55 every time; 44 60%, 33 and 22 about 40%
Suited acesA2s: every one of them
Offsuit acesATo
Suited kingsK6s (K5s 65%)
Offsuit kingsKTo
Suited queensQ9s (Q8s 23%)
Offsuit queensQJo and QTo, about 62% of the time
Suited jacks and tensJ9s, T8s
Suited connectors98s; 87s, 76s, 65s and 54s 38% to 62%

Under the gun opens 232 combos and the cutoff 378, so the hijack sits between them. It adds fours, ace-deuce suited, king-ten, queen-jack and queen-ten offsuit, ten-eight suited and nine-eight suited to the under-the-gun range. Ace-nine offsuit, jack-ten offsuit, jack-eight suited and nine-seven suited stay folds: those are the cutoff’s hands. Our Texas Hold’em charts show every seat side by side.

What happens after you open from the hijack?

We simulated 200,000 hijack opens with PlusEV’s 6-max solver ranges at 100 big blinds, card removal included: the hijack is dealt a hand from its opening range and the four seats behind act on their own charts.

After a hijack openHow often
Everyone folds, the hijack wins the blinds47.6%
Someone 3-bets first27.3%
Someone calls first25.1%

The hijack opens more hands than under the gun and takes the blinds about as often (48.3%), because one fewer player can wake up. The first player to 3-bet is most often the cutoff, 8.8% of the time, then the button at 7.7%. The most common single response is the big blind calling, 15.9% of the time, and then the hijack has position for the rest of the hand. A call from the cutoff (1.2%) or the button (5.6%) leaves the hijack out of position.

SeatPlayers behindOpensBlinds won uncontested
Under the gun517.5%48.3%
Hijack421.6%47.6%
Cutoff328.5%47.1%
Button240.5%56.2%

What should you do when under the gun opens first?

3-bet or fold, almost every time. Against an under-the-gun open, PlusEV’s ranges play 8.5% of hands from the hijack, and 87% of those are 3-bets, the highest share of any seat:

Seat facing the open3-betCallFold3-bets as a share of hands played
Hijack7.4%1.1%91.5%87%
Cutoff7.4%2.8%89.7%72%
Button7.3%5.7%87.0%56%

A call from the hijack has the most to fear: four players can still raise behind it, and two of them will have position. Most of the hands it opens when first in are folds here. Ace-jack, king-jack and queen-jack offsuit fold every time, and king-queen offsuit folds 79% of the time. Aces, kings and ace-king suited 3-bet every time.

What should you do when someone 3-bets your hijack open?

Continue with about half your range against the cutoff and the button, and less against the blinds. PlusEV’s ranges count each hand by how often the hijack opens it:

3-bet fromSizeContinueCall4-bet
Cutoff7.5bb47.2%25.2%22.0%
Button7.5bb55.4%34.1%21.3%
Small blind12bb44.1%33.7%10.5%
Big blind12bb39.5%29.8%9.8%

The hijack 4-bets about twice as often against the cutoff and button as against the blinds. Queens show the switch: they 4-bet every time against the two late seats and almost always call against the blinds. Jacks 4-bet 63% to 73% of the time against a late seat and 11% or less against a blind, and ace-king suited goes from every time to a call against the big blind. Aces 4-bet against all four.

Two hands catch people out. Ace-jack offsuit and king-queen offsuit open every time from the hijack and fold every time to a 3-bet from any seat. Every spot is on our facing a 3-bet charts, and the re-raise itself is covered in the 4-bet guide.

What are the most common mistakes in the hijack?

  1. Opening the cutoff’s range. Ace-nine offsuit, jack-ten offsuit and nine-seven suited are folds here and opens one seat later.
  2. Calling an under-the-gun open. The hijack cold calls only 1.1% of hands: a flat invites a squeeze from the four players behind.
  3. Calling a 3-bet with ace-jack or king-queen offsuit. Both fold every time in PlusEV’s ranges.
  4. Defending the same against every seat. 55.4% of your range continues against the button and 39.5% against the big blind.
  5. Limping. The solver limps 0% of hands from the hijack.

How do you play after the flop from the hijack?

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. Called by the cutoff or button, you act first on every street: check more, and bet mostly for value. With two callers, bet less often, because one of them is more likely to have connected.

The hijack is the seat two to the right of the button and the middle of the 6-max table. Open about 21.6% of hands with one raise size, 3-bet or fold against an under-the-gun open, and let ace-jack and king-queen offsuit go to a 3-bet. The PlusEV preflop trainer drills these spots until you stop needing the chart.

Quick answers

What is the hijack in poker?

The seat two to the right of the button, directly before the cutoff. Four players act after it before the flop: the cutoff, the button and both blinds.

Why is it called the hijack?

The usual explanation is that a raise from this seat hijacks the steal from the cutoff and the button, the two players who would otherwise be first to attack the blinds.

Is the hijack a good position?

It is a middle position: better than under the gun, worse than the cutoff and the button. At 6-max it acts second before the flop and has a chance to act last after the flop only if the cutoff and button fold.

What is the difference between the lojack and the hijack?

The lojack sits directly before the hijack, three to the right of the button, and has five players behind it. At 6-max the first seat already has five players behind it, so most players call that seat under the gun and the lojack only appears at bigger tables.

How many hands should you open from the hijack?

About 21.6% in 6-max cash at 100 big blinds, or 286 of the 1,326 possible combos, in the solver ranges PlusEV drills. The range starts at pocket fives, every suited ace, ace-ten offsuit and king-ten offsuit.

How much should you raise from the hijack?

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 hijack.