Hijack Position in Poker: What it is and How to Play it
Positions in poker are everything. Early position means you act first, which would be an advantage in any other game, but in poker, everyone can base their decisions on your actions. If you’re in a late position, you act after those players, giving you time to assess their moves and spring a surprise.
That brings us to the hijack, one of the best positions on the table. We’ve covered positions in poker briefly in our guide to poker basics, but now we’ll take a closer look at one of the best seats at the table.
What is the Poker Hijack Position?
In poker, the hijack position, or HJ, refers to the seat two places next to the dealer button and to the right of the cutoff. It earned its name because it is well-placed to steal the pot, acting before the cutoff and the dealer to get the jump on them.
All Poker Positions
If you’re still getting to grips with position at poker, here’s a helpful list based on a full table, but bear in mind that smaller table sizes will look a little different:
- Small Blind: Although the small blind acts second-to-last before the flop, it is the first to act after it.
- Big Blind: The last to act before the flop and the second after it.
- Under the Gun: So-called because it is a high-pressure position, the player “under the gun” acts first after the flop.
- Under the Gun +1: As above, but one position later.
- Middle Position: A middling position that can see several other players act before they do.
- Lojack: A middle position that acts before the hijack.
- Hijack: A late-middle position that is the subject of this guide.
- Cutoff: The second-to-last position—a very good place to be if you’re trying to steal and there is minimal action ahead of you.
- Button: Considered the best position, the button acts last after the flop in every round.
Why is the HJ Poker Position So Important?
The hijack position is important because most other players act ahead of you. You can read their actions and decide how best to proceed.
For instance, let’s imagine that it’s late in a tournament, you’re approaching the bubble, and everyone has tightened up because they want to finish in the money.
There is a small raise followed by a couple of players limping in. By the time the play gets around to you, it’s clear that everyone else is playing cautiously, and they don’t want to commit to the hand.
You look down and see a low pair, but there is also a stack of chips in the pot, and they would help you going forward. In this position, you could place a large bet to scare those cautious players away and make the cutoff and button think twice about calling or raising. You’re saying to the table, “I have something big, and you’ll need to pay and take a risk if you want to challenge me.”
They might call, at which point you could bet the flop and hope they fold if they miss everything. However, they will fold in many cases, and you’ll collect all the chips in the middle. You just won a hand and a bunch of chips without seeing the flop!
The hijack position also works well if you have a strong hand. In such cases, you could raise a smaller amount to scare away the limpers with small hands (the more hands you’re going up against, the more likely you are to be beaten by weak hole cards) while justifying late positions to call.
How Do You Play the Hijack Position?
As with all poker strategies, there are many ways to play this position. You should be more aggressive here than in other positions, but you don’t want to act the same way every time. The other players will pick up on the fact that you’re always aggressive, and as it’s safe to assume that you don’t have the best hand every time you’re in the hijack spot, they will start calling your bluff.
If you remain aggressive after the flop, you could find yourself in a very sticky situation with a player who either has a better hand or is willing to out-bluff you.
Adapt your play. Change it up. If the moment strikes and you’re primed for an easy steal, go for it. If you have a strong hand, play it similarly. If your bluffs match your strong hands, you won’t be giving anything away and could find yourself in a spot where you’re sitting on the nuts, but they think you’re bluffing. There are few better feelings in this game than facing an aggressive raiser when you know you’ve got the best hand.
Summary: Poker Hijack Position
Learning to play the HJ position is essential for improving your poker strategy, but it’s just one of several positions. It’s a small piece of a much larger puzzle, and you can’t win tournaments from the hijack position alone. If you’re serious about improving your game, check out our guide to poker levels, where you can learn how to advance from a novice to a pro.
Poker Common Queries
What does the hijack position mean in poker?
The hijack position was named because it’s a good spot to hijack the hand and steal the blinds.
What position is the hijack?
The hijack position is to the right of the cutoff and two places to the button’s right.
What is the difference between hijack and lojack?
The lojack acts before the hijack, but it also means several players act afterward, making it a tougher position.
What is the strongest position in poker?
The dealer button is considered to be the best position in poker. As it is the last to act, the player in this position sees what everyone else has done before making their move.
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