MTT preflop strategy

CO range vs UTG open at 25 bb (8-max)

When UTG opens and you're CO, with an effective stack of 25 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 30.5% of its hands (call 26.8%, raise 5.20 bb 3.4%) and folds 69.5%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 69.5%Call 26.8%Raise 5.20 bb 3.4%All-in 0.3%

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 30.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 404 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 27.8% of hands: from QQ down to 22, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 2.3% of hands: from AA down to AKo, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as A4o.

What changes at 20 bb (8 hands change action)

  • AKs: call here, raise at 20 bb
  • A4o: fold here, call at 20 bb
  • A3o: fold here, call at 20 bb
  • Q9o: fold here, call at 20 bb
  • K3s: fold here, call at 20 bb
  • Q6s: fold here, call at 20 bb

What changes at 30 bb (14 hands change action)

  • JJ: raise here, call at 30 bb
  • AKo: raise here, call at 30 bb
  • A7o: call here, fold at 30 bb
  • K8s: call here, raise at 30 bb
  • K9o: call here, fold at 30 bb
  • A6o: call here, fold at 30 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from CO, facing an open, at 25 bb in 8-max?

The solver plays 30.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 404 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 27.8% of hands: from QQ down to 22, 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 call, 33 call, 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.