Middle position
also called MP
Middle position is the group of seats between the earliest players and the cutoff, where several players have already folded but several still act after you.
It is the part of the table where opening ranges start to widen. Fewer players remain behind than under the gun, so hands that were folds become playable, and still enough remain that the widest steal ranges are premature.
The number of seats it covers depends on the table. At nine handed play it is usually two or three seats, and at six handed the category barely exists, because the seat after the blinds is already close to late position.
an example
your cards
You hold ace jack in middle position with four players left to act. It is a comfortable raise here and a marginal one two seats earlier, and the cards have not changed at all.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find middle position in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Position
Position is where you sit relative to the button, and it decides whether you act before or after your opponent in every ...
Under the gun
Under the gun is the seat immediately to the left of the big blind, which acts first before the flop and therefore has t ...
Cutoff
The cutoff is the seat directly to the right of the button, which makes it the second best position at the table because ...
next
Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
The full order of play, from the blinds to the showdown.