MTT preflop strategy

SB open range at 20 bb (6-max)

When you're SB and it folds to you, with an effective stack of 20 bb in a 6-max tournament, the solver plays 84.6% of its hands (limp 63.0%, all-in 21.2%) and folds 15.4%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 15.4%Limp 63.0%Raise 2.00 bb 0.4%All-in 21.2%

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 84.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,121 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 63.5% of hands: from AA down to 32s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 21.1% of hands: from AQo down to 54o, 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 17 bb (13 hands change action)

  • A9s: call here, all-in at 17 bb
  • QJo: call here, all-in at 17 bb
  • QTo: call here, all-in at 17 bb
  • K6s: call here, all-in at 17 bb
  • K5s: call here, all-in at 17 bb
  • K4s: call here, all-in at 17 bb

What changes at 25 bb (12 hands change action)

  • A8s: all-in here, call at 25 bb
  • KQo: all-in here, call at 25 bb
  • KJo: all-in here, call at 25 bb
  • QTo: call here, all-in at 25 bb
  • JTo: all-in here, call at 25 bb
  • J9o: call here, raise at 25 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from SB, first in, at 20 bb in 6-max?

The solver plays 84.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,121 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 63.5% of hands: from AA 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 all-in, 33 all-in, 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 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.

Short stack: push/fold in the small blind

Push or fold, no open: the equilibrium ranges in the small blind at these depths. The full push/fold chart

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.