MTT preflop strategy

BB defense vs SB open at 10 bb (heads-up)

When the SB opens and you are in the BB, with an effective stack of 10 bb in a heads-up tournament, the solver plays 80.5% of its hands (call 38.6%, raise 4.00 bb 2.8%, all-in 39.0%) and folds 19.5%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 19.5%Call 38.6%Raise 4.00 bb 2.8%All-in 39.0%

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 80.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,067 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 40.7% of hands: from Q8s down to 32s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 1.4% of hands: from AA down to QQ, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 37.1% of hands: from JJ down to K2o, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J6o, J2s, 96s, J5o.

What changes at 12 bb (9 hands change action)

  • QTs: all-in here, call at 12 bb
  • Q9s: all-in here, call at 12 bb
  • QTo: all-in here, call at 12 bb
  • K6s: all-in here, call at 12 bb
  • Q9o: all-in here, call at 12 bb
  • JTo: all-in here, call at 12 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from BB, facing an open, at 10 bb in heads-up?

The solver plays 80.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,067 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 40.7% of hands: from Q8s down to 32s, 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 all-in, 33 all-in, 44 all-in, 55 all-in, 66 all-in.

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

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

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.