BB defense vs HJ open at 25 bb (5-max)
When HJ opens, everyone else folds and you're in the BB, with an effective stack of 25 bb in a 5-max tournament, the solver plays 65.5% of its hands (call 52.6%, raise 6.40 bb 4.3%, all-in 8.5%) and folds 34.5%. 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 65.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 868 combos out of 1,326.
- Call is the main action for 54.9% of hands: from ATs down to 32s, the weakest hand played this way.
- Raise is the main action for 2.3% of hands: from AA down to 22, the weakest hand played this way.
- All-in is the main action for 7.5% of hands: from TT down to A2o, the weakest hand played this way.
- Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J2s, 96s, T5s, T4s.
What changes at 20 bb (10 hands change action)
- QQ: raise here, all-in at 20 bb
- ATs: call here, all-in at 20 bb
- ATo: call here, all-in at 20 bb
- Q9s: call here, all-in at 20 bb
- A5o: call here, all-in at 20 bb
- 44: call here, all-in at 20 bb
What changes at 30 bb (20 hands change action)
- AQs: all-in here, raise at 30 bb
- AJs: all-in here, call at 30 bb
- A9s: call here, raise at 30 bb
- A8s: call here, raise at 30 bb
- 55: all-in here, call at 30 bb
- A3s: call here, all-in at 30 bb
Frequently asked questions
Which hands should you play from BB, facing an open, at 25 bb in 5-max?
The solver plays 65.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 868 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 54.9% of hands: from ATs down to 32s, 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 raise, 33 call, 44 call, 55 all-in, 66 all-in.
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 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.
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.