MTT preflop strategy

HJ range vs UTG open at 40 bb (8-max)

When UTG opens and you're HJ, with an effective stack of 40 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 21.3% of its hands (call 17.2%, raise 5.72 bb 4.1%) and folds 78.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 78.7%Call 17.2%Raise 5.72 bb 4.1%

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 21.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 282 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 18.3% of hands: from KK down to T8s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 3.2% of hands: from AA down to 42s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as A8o, KTo, A7o, K9o.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as 86s, 75s, 64s, 53s.

What changes at 30 bb (10 hands change action)

  • QQ: raise here, call at 30 bb
  • JJ: raise here, call at 30 bb
  • K8s: call here, raise at 30 bb
  • K7s: call here, fold at 30 bb
  • T8s: call here, raise at 30 bb
  • 86s: raise here, fold at 30 bb

What changes at 50 bb (7 hands change action)

  • KK: call here, raise at 50 bb
  • KTo: fold here, call at 50 bb
  • A2s: fold here, call at 50 bb
  • QTo: fold here, call at 50 bb
  • J9s: call here, raise at 50 bb
  • T8s: call here, raise at 50 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from HJ, facing an open, at 40 bb in 8-max?

The solver plays 21.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 282 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 18.3% of hands: from KK down to T8s, 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 fold, 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 fold, 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.