MTT preflop strategy

HJ range vs CO 3-bet at 12 bb (9-max)

When you open from HJ and CO 3-bets you, with an effective stack of 12 bb in a 9-max tournament, the solver plays 47.6% of its hands (call 47.6%) and folds 52.4%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 52.4%Call 47.6%

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 47.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 53 combos out of 112.
  • Call is the main action for 47.2% of hands: from AA down to 44, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as KJo, A8o, KTo, A7o.

What changes at 10 bb (16 hands change action)

  • KJo: fold here, call at 10 bb
  • A8o: fold here, call at 10 bb
  • KTo: fold here, call at 10 bb
  • A7o: fold here, call at 10 bb
  • QJo: fold here, call at 10 bb
  • Q9s: fold here, call at 10 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from HJ, facing a 3-bet, at 12 bb in 9-max?

The solver plays 47.6% of the hands that reach this spot, about 53 combos out of 112. Call is the main action for 47.2% of hands: from AA down to 44, 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: 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: 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, a little more at deep stacks (up to 2.5 bb on the button at 100 bb), 2 to 3.5 bb from the SB. EVs of actions the equilibrium does not play are indicative: play the frequencies.