The cutoff, usually written CO, is the seat immediately before the button. It acts second to last after the flop and sixth of nine before it, which makes it the second-strongest position at a full table. This guide covers where the seat sits, why it is called the cutoff, and how to adjust your opening range when you are in it.
Where the cutoff sits
At a nine-handed table, the cutoff is seat six in the preflop order. Three seats still act after it before the flop: the button, the small blind, and the big blind. After the flop, only the button acts after it.
| Seat | Position | Acts preflop | Acts postflop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UTG | 1st | 3rd |
| 2 | UTG+1 | 2nd | 4th |
| 3 | MP | 3rd | 5th |
| 4 | LJ | 4th | 6th |
| 5 | HJ | 5th | 7th |
| 6 | CO | 6th | 8th |
| 7 | BTN | 7th | 9th |
| 8 | SB | 8th | 1st |
| 9 | BB | 9th | 2nd |
The order shifts on later streets because the blinds act first once the flop arrives. That change is what makes the cutoff valuable: on the flop, turn and river, you see what everyone except the button does before you have to decide.
For the full nine-seat map, see the guide to poker positions.
Why it is called the cutoff
The name describes what the seat does to the button. The button is the most profitable seat because it acts last on every street and gets to see the most information before deciding. The cutoff sits directly in front of it and can take part of that advantage away.
When the action folds to the cutoff, the player can raise and put the button in a difficult spot: calling means playing a raised pot from a seat that no longer has the initiative, and folding gives up position entirely. That is the sense in which the cutoff cuts off part of the button’s edge.
The cutting works in one direction only. The cutoff takes from the button, but it still loses to the button when both reach the flop and the button has position.
What changes after the flop
The cutoff’s advantage grows after the flop. Acting eighth of nine means six players have already decided by the time the action reaches you, and those decisions carry information about hand strength and intent.
The cost is the player still behind you. Any bet from the cutoff can be raised by the button, and a raise from the button is the most credible raise at the table because it comes from the strongest seat. That is why cutoff bets tend to be more selective than button bets.
What to open from the cutoff
The cutoff plays a wider range than the early seats and a narrower one than the button. The right way to build that range is by hand type, not by a fixed percentage.
Reasonable hands to open from the cutoff:
- All pocket pairs
- Most suited aces
- Most suited connectors
- Strong broadway hands such as KQ, KJ, and QJ, suited or offsuit
- Suited one-gappers in the middle ranks
Hands that should stay folded unless the table is very passive:
- Offsuit connectors below ten
- Weak offsuit aces with a low kicker
- Low suited hands that make weak flushes
The general shape is “wider than UTG, tighter than the button”. If you need a reference point for the seats themselves, the position guide covers all nine.
How to play against a raise
Opening the cutoff is not the same as calling from it. When an early player has already raised, the cutoff’s range has to tighten considerably, because the raiser has shown strength and the button is still to act.
A useful default: call with hands that flop well and can stand a continuation bet, such as pairs and suited connectors, and fold the offsuit broadway hands that are easily dominated.
Common mistakes at the cutoff
Treating the cutoff like the button. The cut-off acts before one more player. Bets and calls that are fine on the button can lose value here.
Opening too wide against aggressive blinds. If the blinds three-bet often, the extra hands that look profitable from the cutoff stop being profitable.
Ignoring the stack sizes behind. A short stack on the button changes the math, because a shove can take away the initiative the cutoff just paid for.
Playing the seat instead of the table. A cutoff open at a tight table is a steal attempt. At a table full of callers, it is just a raised pot with several players behind.
FAQ
What does cutoff mean in poker?
The cutoff is the seat immediately before the button. It acts sixth of nine before the flop and second to last after it.
Is the cutoff the second-best position?
After the flop, yes: only the button acts after it, so it holds the second-best seat on every postflop street. Before the flop it is less simple. The button, small blind and big blind all act after the cutoff preflop, and a cutoff open also has to survive three players still to act. That is why most opening ranges widen at the cutoff but still stay tighter than a button open.
How wide should a cutoff opening range be?
Wider than the early positions and narrower than the button. Build it by hand type: pairs, suited aces, suited connectors, and strong broadway hands, then tighten it if the players behind are aggressive.
Does the cutoff act before or after the button?
Before. That single seat of difference is the whole reason the button is stronger.
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