How to obtain a reference to $table_prefix in $wpdb object

Question

I need to call the WordPress options table and pull some data. However, the table name may be different (typically wp_options) depending on whether the default table prefix was used on installation.

How can I obtain a reference to the site's table prefix in order to properly access the site's options table via $wpdb?

/**
 * WordPress Database Table prefix.
 *
 * You can have multiple installations in one database if you give each a unique
 * prefix. Only numbers, letters, and underscores please!
 */
$table_prefix  = 'wp_';

Answer 1

global $wpdb;
$prefix = $wpdb->prefix;

Answer 2

While you can get the prefix with $wpdb->prefix, as suggested by Pippin, you're much better off getting the table you need directly with $wpdb->options (in your case). $wpdb includes, by default, the table names for every table, accessible by $wpdb->{table_name}. For example: the posts table is $wpdb->posts...pretty straightforward stuff really.