what is under the gun in poker

In poker, "under the gun" (UTG) refers to the position to the immediate left of the big blind in flop games like Texas holdem and Omaha poker. The under-the-gun player is the first to act before the flop, and the term refers to the pressure that goes along with having to act before anyone else in the hand. The UTG position is the player in the earliest position, the one required to act first. The exact position of UTG will depend on the number of players at the table. For example, in a 6-max game, the UTG position is to the direct right of the Hijack, sometimes referred to as the Lojack. Because the under-the-gun player is at a substantial positional disadvantage, they can gain back some edge by playing a better range of poker hands.