What Is the Hijack Position in Poker?

Poker is a game of chance and skill, and as players gain experience in the game, they learn all the essential rules and terms, as well as some more advanced strategies that can help them make money from their hands. One of these advanced strategies is known as the hijack seat, and it can be a great way to steal blinds from other players. However, to truly benefit from the hijack position, you need to have a good poker position strategy and know how to read the probabilities of the situation.

What Is the Hijack Position in Poker?

The hijack position in poker is a seat located two seats to the right of the button in a six-handed game and one seat to the right of the cutoff in a full-ring game. It is also known as the hijack seat or HJ position, and it’s a very important poker position because it allows players to open raise and steal from players in the cutoff and button who may not be willing to fold their hands.

In addition to allowing players to steal from the player to their left, the hijack position also gives them access to a late position advantage in a full-ring game. This is because players can act last post-flop and first pre-flop in this spot, a huge advantage over the players who play from the button position who have to act first in both cases.

Players in the hijack seat can use this to their advantage when they have strong hands, but they must be careful not to overplay their hand. If they start raising from this position, the players to their left are likely to raise in response and put them in a very awkward position. In addition to this, playing from the hijack position means that players must be aware of how fast probabilities shift in poker. This is a big reason why many players choose to play only certain types of hands in this position, such as suited cards or KJs.

It’s important to note that while playing from the hijack seat offers some unique advantages, it is still a late position in both full and short-handed games. Regardless of the size of the game, players should always try to play in late position whenever possible. This is because it offers the most information about opponents and will increase a player’s chances of winning more often than playing out of position.

The next seat over from the hijack position is the lojack, which is directly to the right of the hijack seat. It’s another middle position in poker and shouldn’t be referred to as early position since there are other seats that should be classified as that. It’s a little more difficult to steal from the cutoff and button in this spot than the HJ is, but it can be a solid seat to play from as well. It’s just a bit more tricky to steal from players in the lojack because of how close they are to the hijack seat.