Cutoff (CO)
Also called CO
The cutoff (CO) is the seat directly to the right of the button — the second-best position in Texas Hold'em, where only the button and the two blinds act after you.
In Texas Hold'em the cutoff is a specific seat at the table: the one immediately to the right of the dealer button. It got its name because raising from here can "cut off" the button — by getting your raise in first, you take away the button's normal advantage of acting last. Preflop, only three players are left behind you (the button and the two blinds), which makes it a strong, late spot to be in.
You'll hear it come up most when people talk about which hands to play. Because so few players act behind you, you can open more hands from the cutoff than from earlier seats, and you'll often take the lead into the flop. It's part of the same family of position words as under the gun (early), the button (best of all), and the blinds.
For a beginner, the simple takeaway is that the cutoff is good news: you have more information and more control than almost anyone else at the table. A common starting approach is to play a wider, more aggressive range here than you would from up front — just remember the button still acts after you, so a 3-bet behind can flip you into a tougher spot.
Example
In a 9-handed game you're dealt K-J of clubs in the cutoff. It folds to you, so with only the button and two blinds left to act you raise to 3 big blinds — a hand you'd often just fold from an early seat becomes a comfortable open from here.