MTT preflop strategy

CO range vs HJ open at 17 bb (5-max)

When HJ opens and you're CO, with an effective stack of 17 bb in a 5-max tournament, the solver plays 23.3% of its hands (call 17.3%, raise 5.20 bb 1.7%, all-in 4.3%) and folds 76.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 76.7%Call 17.3%Raise 5.20 bb 1.7%All-in 4.3%

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 23.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 309 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 18.3% of hands: from JJ down to 44, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 1.2% of hands: from AA down to 33, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 4.1% of hands: from KK down to T9s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as K9o, A5o, QTo, A4o.

What changes at 15 bb (3 hands change action)

  • AQs: call here, all-in at 15 bb
  • KJs: call here, all-in at 15 bb
  • A5o: fold here, call at 15 bb

What changes at 20 bb (14 hands change action)

  • KK: all-in here, raise at 20 bb
  • QQ: all-in here, raise at 20 bb
  • JJ: call here, raise at 20 bb
  • TT: all-in here, call at 20 bb
  • AKo: all-in here, raise at 20 bb
  • KQs: all-in here, call at 20 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from CO, facing an open, at 17 bb in 5-max?

The solver plays 23.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 309 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 18.3% of hands: from JJ down to 44, 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 fold, 33 raise, 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.