MTT preflop strategy

BTN range vs BB 3-bet at 8 bb (7-max)

When you open from BTN and BB 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 8 bb in a 7-max tournament, the solver plays 99.3% of its hands (call 99.3%) and folds 0.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 0.7%Call 99.3%

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 99.8% of the hands that reach this spot, about 13 combos out of 13.
Call is the main action for 100.0% of hands: from AA down to 53s, the weakest hand played this way.
Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as 96s, T5s, T4s, 86s.

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from BTN, facing a 3-bet, at 8 bb in 7-max?

The solver plays 99.8% of the hands that reach this spot, about 13 combos out of 13. Call is the main action for 100.0% of hands: from AA down to 53s, 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.

What should you do with offsuit broadways (KJo, KQo, QJo) in this spot?

The solver's main action with each hand: KJo call, QJo 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.