Cut Off - (CO)

The phrase cut-off refers to a starting position and sequence of betting in a poker game. Cut off, written shorthanded as CO, is tagged to the person who is right of the button after the blinds and antes have been posted. In Texas Hold'em tournaments, cut off is the person last to act before the action reaches the button.

The cut off is one of the best positions in a poker game, because only the button acts after the cut off. This positional advantage remains throughout the hand. The CO player will most likely be in position for the rest of the hand, unless the player on the button calls. Players tend to raise a much wider range of hands in later positions, as there are less players to act afterwards. Thus, making the cut off a very powerful position. Players who raise with strong hands in the cut off position will often yield greater profits as opponents assume that they are raising purely because they have positional advantage.