MTT preflop strategy

BTN calling range vs HJ all-in at 8 bb (8-max)

When HJ goes all-in and you're BTN, with an effective stack of 8 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 17.9% of its hands (call 17.9%) and folds 82.1%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 82.1%Call 17.9%

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 17.9% of the hands that reach this spot, about 238 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 17.9% of hands: from AA down to 22, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as KJo, K9s, KTo, K8s.

What changes at 10 bb (6 hands change action)

  • A8o: call here, fold at 10 bb
  • QTs: call here, fold at 10 bb
  • A4s: call here, fold at 10 bb
  • A7o: call here, fold at 10 bb
  • A3s: call here, fold at 10 bb
  • 22: call here, fold at 10 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from BTN, facing an all-in, at 8 bb in 8-max?

The solver plays 17.9% of the hands that reach this spot, about 238 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 17.9% of hands: from AA 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 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.

Short stack: the push/fold chart, from 5 to 20 bb

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.