MTT preflop strategy

HJ open range at 40 bb (9-max)

When you're HJ and it folds to you, with an effective stack of 40 bb in a 9-max tournament, the solver plays 34.1% of its hands (raise 2.20 bb 34.1%) and folds 65.9%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 65.9%Raise 2.20 bb 34.1%

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 34.1% of the hands that reach this spot, about 453 combos out of 1,326.
  • Raise is the main action for 34.5% of hands: from AA down to 76s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Surprise: the solver folds some top-50 hands here, such as A4o.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as 86s, 76s.

What changes at 30 bb (8 hands change action)

  • Q9o: raise here, fold at 30 bb
  • K3s: raise here, fold at 30 bb
  • J9o: raise here, fold at 30 bb
  • Q5s: raise here, fold at 30 bb
  • J7s: raise here, fold at 30 bb
  • T7s: raise here, fold at 30 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from HJ, first in, at 40 bb in 9-max?

The solver plays 34.1% of the hands that reach this spot, about 453 combos out of 1,326. Raise is the main action for 34.5% of hands: from AA down to 76s, 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 raise, 33 raise, 44 raise, 55 raise, 66 raise.

What should you do with weak suited aces (A2s to A5s) in this spot?

The solver's main action with each hand: A2s raise, A3s raise, A4s raise, A5s raise.

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.