MTT preflop strategy

BTN range vs SB 3-bet at 50 bb (3-max)

When you open from BTN and SB 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 50 bb in a 3-max tournament, the solver plays 66.9% of its hands (call 55.6%, raise 16.19 bb 11.3%) and folds 33.1%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 33.1%Call 55.6%Raise 16.19 bb 11.3%

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 66.9% of the hands that reach this spot, about 469 combos out of 702.
  • Call is the main action for 54.7% of hands: from TT down to 43s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 12.3% of hands: from AA down to 53s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as A8o, A7o, K9o, A6o.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as 96s, T5s, 86s, 76s.

What changes at 40 bb (16 hands change action)

  • TT: call here, raise at 40 bb
  • 99: raise here, call at 40 bb
  • AQo: raise here, call at 40 bb
  • A8o: fold here, call at 40 bb
  • Q9o: call here, fold at 40 bb
  • K3s: call here, fold at 40 bb

What changes at 70 bb (8 hands change action)

  • 99: raise here, call at 70 bb
  • A9s: call here, raise at 70 bb
  • K2s: fold here, call at 70 bb
  • Q3s: fold here, call at 70 bb
  • T5s: call here, fold at 70 bb
  • 86s: call here, raise at 70 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from BTN, facing a 3-bet, at 50 bb in 3-max?

The solver plays 66.9% of the hands that reach this spot, about 469 combos out of 702. Call is the main action for 54.7% of hands: from TT down to 43s, 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 call, 33 call, 44 call, 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 call, A3s call, A4s call, A5s call.

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.

The same spot at other depths
Related spots

Equilibrium computed by the Exploit It solver in chip-EV, antes included, open size 2 bb at 25 bb or less and 2.2 bb deeper. The model's range-width caps can make some EVs of unplayed actions optimistic: play the frequencies.