MTT preflop strategy

MP range vs BB 3-bet at 40 bb (8-max)

When you open from MP and BB 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 40 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 74.3% of its hands (call 64.8%, raise 16.19 bb 9.4%) and folds 25.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 25.7%Call 64.8%Raise 16.19 bb 9.4%

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 74.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 269 combos out of 362.
  • Call is the main action for 68.6% of hands: from JJ down to 86s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 8.3% of hands: from AA down to K5s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as ATo, A9o, A8o, KTo.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as 86s.

What changes at 50 bb (11 hands change action)

  • JJ: call here, raise at 50 bb
  • AKs: raise here, call at 50 bb
  • AKo: call here, raise at 50 bb
  • AJo: call here, fold at 50 bb
  • KQo: call here, fold at 50 bb
  • K6s: raise here, call at 50 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from MP, facing a 3-bet, at 40 bb in 8-max?

The solver plays 74.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 269 combos out of 362. Call is the main action for 68.6% of hands: from JJ down to 86s, 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 fold, A3s fold, 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.