The cutoff position is the seat immediately to the right of the dealer button in a flop or draw game. If you are going to play a hand from this position, it is usually a good idea to raise. Doing this will represent strength, and increase your chances of getting the button to fold. This is desirable, because if the button folds, you will have last action for the remainder of the hand (after the flop) and be the de facto button.
In this webinar, you will learn how to play from the Cutoff! Through poker quizzes and game theory, PokerCoaching Pro, Alex Fitzgerald will help you make mor. A player in poker that either announces their actions or physically plays before their turn (checks, folds etc). Sometimes players act out of turn intentionally to get a read out of other players. When done intentionally, this is often referred to as 'angle shooting.' Now instead, suppose David in the cut-off position (to the right of the button) has the same K♥ J♠ and all players fold to him. In this situation, there are only three opponents left to act, so the odds that one of them has a better hand are considerably less (only around 16%). The cut-off is the player seated to the right of the button in poker. He has the advantage of raising the blinds in a hand and can do so before the button.
The term 'hijack' in poker refers to the player who is sitting two seats right of the 'button' and one seat to the right of the 'cutoff'. Over the years, automatic button raises have become far too common. This evolved into 'cutoff' players starting to raise more, as their raises were more likely to be seen as 'strong'.
The cutoff position has a strong tactical advantage over most other positions. In terms of quality of position, it is second only to the dealer button, which is the premier position in a flop or draw game. This means that you can expand your preflop hand selection, and steal blinds more aggressively from the cutoff position than you would from earlier positions. But you should also be aware that if you raise from the cutoff position, you will likely get less credit from the other players than you would if you raise up front. Other players know that up front raises tend to be big hands, and that the cutoff position will raise with some marginal hands, especially in tournament play. Be prepared for your opponents to play back at you when you raise from the cutoff, especially if you have a reputation as an aggressive player.
When deciding whether or not to steal from the cutoff with a marginal hand, you must consider the texture of the game. In general, the looser and more aggressive the game is, the better quality hand you will need to steal with. It is also important pay attention to which players tend to defend their blinds and which do not. If the players who are in the blind when you are the cutoff do not typically defend their blinds, you will want to be more active stealing blinds. While you should make adjustments to your play based upon the texture of your opponents play, you should be careful not to over-adjust. You want to think of these adjustments as tweaks rather than major overhauls of your game. If you open up your game too much in a tight game you will get clobbered by monster hands. If you tighten up too much in a loose game you will forsake a lot of opportunity for profit and end up sitting around and waiting on big hands.
Usage: Raise From The Cutoff Position, The Cutoff Raised
Cutoff Position In Poker
Previous Poker Term: Cut
Next Poker Term: Dead Money
- The position one place to the right of the dealer. The cut-off acts right before the dealer does in any hand.
Origin
This position on the table is so named because the player in it has the opportunity to 'cut off' the button's positional advantage by raising.
Advantages of the Cut-Off
The cut-off has the same advantages as the button, only to a slightly lesser degree. In the cut-off, you see most of your opponents act before you, so you have a greater knowledge of everyone's potential holdings. The cut-off also gives you a solid chance at stealing the blinds, as if everyone folds to you, you only have three opponents (button, small blind, and big blind) to get past. Additionally, if someone does bet before you, you are in a better position to semi-bluff or initiate a blocking bet with a raise.
Related Terms
Poker Cutoff Seat
Under the Gun, Button, Big Blind, Small Blind, Position