MTT preflop strategy

CO range vs MP open at 8 bb (8-max)

When MP opens and you're CO, with an effective stack of 8 bb in a 8-max tournament, the solver plays 26.6% of its hands (call 20.2%, all-in 6.3%) and folds 73.4%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 73.4%Call 20.2%Raise 5.20 bb 0.2%All-in 6.3%

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 26.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 353 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 20.1% of hands: from JJ down to 33, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 6.5% of hands: from AA down to JTs, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as K7s, QTo, K6s.

What changes at 10 bb (11 hands change action)

  • ATs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
  • A9s: all-in here, call at 10 bb
  • KJs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
  • A9o: all-in here, call at 10 bb
  • QJs: call here, all-in at 10 bb
  • QTs: call here, all-in at 10 bb

Frequently asked questions

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

The solver plays 26.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 353 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 20.1% of hands: from JJ down to 33, 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 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.

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.