BB defense vs SB open at 17 bb (3-max)
When SB opens, everyone else folds and you're in the BB, with an effective stack of 17 bb in a 3-max tournament, the solver plays 83.6% of its hands (call 55.8%, raise 5.50 bb 7.0%, all-in 20.9%) and folds 16.4%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.
Each cell: the share of each action for that hand, left to right. Gray cell: hand not in the range at this point.
Key takeaways for this spot
- The solver plays 83.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,109 combos out of 1,326.
- Call is the main action for 60.3% of hands: from 88 down to 52o, the weakest hand played this way.
- Raise is the main action for 4.5% of hands: from AA down to KQo, the weakest hand played this way.
- All-in is the main action for 17.9% of hands: from AKs down to 22, the weakest hand played this way.
- Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J6o, J2s, 96s, Q2o.
What changes at 15 bb (7 hands change action)
- K9o: call here, all-in at 15 bb
- K4s: call here, all-in at 15 bb
- K3s: call here, all-in at 15 bb
- K3o: call here, all-in at 15 bb
- K2o: call here, all-in at 15 bb
- 95o: call here, fold at 15 bb
What changes at 20 bb (10 hands change action)
- 99: raise here, call at 20 bb
- AKs: all-in here, raise at 20 bb
- KTs: all-in here, call at 20 bb
- KQo: raise here, call at 20 bb
- KJo: all-in here, call at 20 bb
- A6s: all-in here, raise at 20 bb
Frequently asked questions
Which hands should you play from BB, facing an open, at 17 bb in 3-max?
The solver plays 83.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,109 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 60.3% of hands: from 88 down to 52o, the weakest hand played this way.
What should you do with small pairs (22 to 66) in this spot?
The solver's main action with each hand: 22 all-in, 33 all-in, 44 all-in, 55 call, 66 call.
What should you do with weak suited aces (A2s to A5s) in this spot?
The solver's main action with each hand: A2s all-in, A3s all-in, A4s all-in, A5s all-in.
How do you train on this spot?
Exploit It's free quiz deals you random hands in this exact spot and shows you the solver's answer after each choice.
Equilibrium computed by the Exploit It solver in chip-EV, antes included, open size 2 bb up to 25 bb, 2.1 bb at 30 bb and 2.3 bb deeper. EVs of actions the equilibrium does not play are indicative: play the frequencies.