MTT preflop strategy

UTG range vs CO 3-bet at 30 bb (8-max)

When you open from UTG and CO 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 30 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 60.8% of its hands (call 42.5%, all-in 18.3%) and folds 39.2%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 39.2%Call 42.5%Raise 11.55 bb 0.1%All-in 18.3%

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 60.8% of the hands that reach this spot, about 147 combos out of 242.
  • Call is the main action for 43.0% of hands: from JJ down to Q6s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 19.8% of hands: from AA down to A5s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as AJo, ATo, A7s, KJo.

What changes at 40 bb (20 hands change action)

  • AA: all-in here, raise at 40 bb
  • KK: all-in here, raise at 40 bb
  • QQ: all-in here, raise at 40 bb
  • JJ: call here, raise at 40 bb
  • TT: all-in here, call at 40 bb
  • AKs: all-in here, raise at 40 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from UTG, facing a 3-bet, at 30 bb in 8-max?

The solver plays 60.8% of the hands that reach this spot, about 147 combos out of 242. Call is the main action for 43.0% of hands: from JJ down to Q6s, 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: 55 call, 66 call.

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

The solver's main action with each hand: 98s fold, T9s fold.

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
30 bb40 bb50 bb70 bb100 bb
Related spots

Equilibrium computed by the Exploit It solver in chip-EV, antes included, open size 2 bb up to 25 bb, 2.1 bb at 30 bb and 2.3 bb deeper. EVs of actions the equilibrium does not play are indicative: play the frequencies.