MTT preflop strategy

SB range vs BB 3-bet at 8 bb (6-max)

When you open from SB and BB 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 8 bb in a 6-max tournament, the solver plays 73.3% of its hands (call 73.3%) and folds 26.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 26.7%Call 73.3%

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 73.1% of the hands that reach this spot, about 13 combos out of 18.
Call is the main action for 71.7% of hands: from AA down to 52s, the weakest hand played this way.
Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J6o, J2s, 96s, T5s.

What changes at 10 bb (51 hands change action)

AA: call here, all-in at 10 bb
KK: call here, all-in at 10 bb
QQ: call here, all-in at 10 bb
JJ: call here, all-in at 10 bb
TT: call here, all-in at 10 bb
99: call here, all-in at 10 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from SB, facing a 3-bet, at 8 bb in 6-max?

The solver plays 73.1% of the hands that reach this spot, about 13 combos out of 18. Call is the main action for 71.7% of hands: from AA down to 52s, the weakest hand played this way.

What should you do with suited connectors (54s to T9s) in this spot?

The solver's main action with each hand: 54s call, 65s call, 76s call, 87s call, 98s call, T9s 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, a little more at deep stacks (up to 2.5 bb on the button at 100 bb), 2 to 3.5 bb from the SB. EVs of actions the equilibrium does not play are indicative: play the frequencies.