MTT preflop strategy

SB open range at 12 bb (heads-up)

When you're first to act in the SB, with an effective stack of 12 bb in a heads-up tournament, the solver plays 84.3% of its hands (limp 60.4%, raise 2.00 bb 2.6%, all-in 21.2%) and folds 15.7%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.

Fold 15.7%Limp 60.4%Raise 2.00 bb 2.6%All-in 21.2%

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 84.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,117 combos out of 1,326.
  • Call is the main action for 62.9% of hands: from AA down to 32s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Raise is the main action for 0.6% of hands: from A9s down to A8s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • All-in is the main action for 21.1% of hands: from AQo down to 53s, the weakest hand played this way.
  • Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J6o, J2s, 96s, Q2o.

What changes at 10 bb (45 hands change action)

  • AKo: call here, all-in at 10 bb
  • A9s: raise here, all-in at 10 bb
  • A8s: raise here, all-in at 10 bb
  • A7s: call here, all-in at 10 bb
  • A6s: call here, all-in at 10 bb
  • A5s: call here, all-in at 10 bb

What changes at 15 bb (25 hands change action)

  • AQo: all-in here, call at 15 bb
  • AJo: all-in here, call at 15 bb
  • ATo: all-in here, call at 15 bb
  • A7s: call here, raise at 15 bb
  • KJo: all-in here, raise at 15 bb
  • K8s: call here, raise at 15 bb

Frequently asked questions

Which hands should you play from SB, first in, at 12 bb in heads-up?

The solver plays 84.3% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,117 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 62.9% of hands: from AA 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 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 all-in, A3s all-in, A4s all-in, 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: push/fold in the small blind

Push or fold, no open: the equilibrium ranges in the small blind at these depths. The full push/fold chart

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.