MP (Middle Position) is the seat directly to the left of UTG. At a 6-max table there is only one, and it is often called the HJ (Hijack).

Its situation sits between early and late: UTG in front of you has already acted, but behind you are the two seats with position, the CO and the button, plus the two blinds.

1. What This Seat Is Like

MP (6-max)
Preflop Second to act, with 4 players still to speak behind you
Postflop Out of position against the CO and the button; in position against the blinds
Default opening range 18.9%

One fewer player behind you and the bar drops noticeably: the opening range jumps from UTG’s 11.2% to 18.9%, about 70% more hands. But the two most troublesome seats behind you (the CO and the button) are still there, and both act after you postflop, so middle position is still a “tight-leaning” seat.

2. Which Hands It Adds to the UTG Range

The RushCraft preflop trainer’s default MP opening range:

22+, ATo+, A2s+, KJo+, KTs+, QTs+, J9s+, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, 65s, 54s

Compared with Under the Gun (UTG), the additions fall into three groups:

  • Every pocket pair: widened from 77 and up to 22 and up. Small pairs rely on flopping a set, and that bet only pays when there are fewer players behind you
  • Every suited ace: A2s through A9s all come in. A suited ace that makes a flush makes the best possible flush, and when it misses it still has an ace
  • More suited connectors: 76s, 65s, 54s, J9s

The only offsuit additions are ATo and KJo. Marginal offsuit hands widen the slowest, because when they miss they have nothing to fall back on.

3. Which Seats Are Middle Position at a 9-Handed Table

A 9-handed table has more seats. Middle position usually means the LJ (Lojack) and HJ (Hijack), with UTG+1 and UTG+2 in front of them counting as early position. The 6-max MP corresponds to the HJ at a 9-handed table — so at 9-handed, the further forward your seat, the closer your range should be to the UTG range. The full seat order is in Texas Hold’em Basics: Position Names at 6-Max and 9-Handed Tables.

4. The Most Common Mistakes

One: playing middle position like late position. UTG folds, you think “only four players left, I can go a bit wider” — and start opening hands like K9o and Q8s that only the CO or the button should open. The two seats with position behind you still have the chance to attack you, and they are the players hardest to deal with after the flop.

Two: calling someone else’s open. UTG opens and you call from middle position — that is a cold call: four players behind you can still re-raise, and when you face UTG after the flop, your hand is usually weaker than his. Facing an open, most of the time it is 3-bet or fold (see what a cold call is).

Middle position, summed up in one line: one fewer player in front, and the two toughest are still behind you.