The CO (Cutoff) is the seat directly to the right of the button, and the first of the late positions.

The name means “cutting in ahead of the button”: if the CO opens first, the button loses the chance to be first in. When everyone in front folds to you, only three players are left behind — and two of them are blinds who were forced to put money in.

1. What This Seat Is Like

CO (6-max)
Preflop Third to act, with 3 players still to speak behind you (the button plus the two blinds)
Postflop Out of position against the button; in position against everyone else
Default opening range 29.1%

This is the seat where the range starts to widen sharply: from middle position’s 18.9% up to 29.1%. The reason is that of the three players behind you, both blinds act before you after the flop. As long as the button stays out, you are almost always the player in position once you open.

2. Where the Opening Range Expands

The RushCraft preflop trainer’s default CO opening range:

22+, A9o+, A2s+, KTo+, K3s+, QTo+, Q6s+, JTo, J7s+, T7s+, 97s+, 86s+, 75s+, 64s+, 54s

Compared with Middle Position (MP), the most obvious change is that suited hands come in wholesale: K3s, Q6s, J7s, T7s, plus one-gappers like 97s, 86s, 75s and 64s. Offsuit hands only go a little lower (A9o, KTo, QTo, JTo).

Suited hands widen first because they have more to fall back on when they miss: one more chance at a flush draw is one more reason to keep betting after the flop. The full chart is in the preflop range chart.

3. Stealing Starts at the CO

When everyone in front folds and it is your turn, the two blinds’ 1.5bb is already sitting in the pot and nobody has shown they have a hand. You raise, all three players behind you fold, and you take it without a fight — this is called stealing the blinds.

How often you do this from the CO is the number called ATS, and the target is roughly 27% to 30%. The CO target is lower than the button’s because there is still a button behind you who will play back at you (the full calculation is in what ATS is).

4. The Biggest Threat: the Button on Your Left

The only opponent the CO is out of position against is the button, and the button happens to be the seat at the table best at causing trouble. After you open, if the button calls or 3-bets, he acts after you on all three postflop streets.

So your CO range depends on who is on the button: if the button is someone who 3-bets a lot, put away the bottom of your range (K3s, 64s, JTo and the like) first; if the button is someone who rarely enters pots, you can open by the chart or even a little wider.

5. The Most Common Mistakes

One: forgetting the button is still there. Everyone in front folds, so you play the CO like the button and come in with offsuit hands like K7o and Q9o that only the button should open. When the button calls, you are holding a weak hand and are out of position after the flop.

Two: limping. Just as on the button, this seat’s stealing income comes from making other players fold. Limping gives that up outright, and invites the button to come in at a cheap price and in position.

The cutoff in one line: you can start stealing, but check who is sitting on your left first.