BB defense vs SB open at 40 bb (heads-up)
When the SB opens and you are in the BB, with an effective stack of 40 bb in a heads-up tournament, the solver plays 70.2% of its hands (call 50.6%, raise 7.04 bb 19.6%) and folds 29.8%. These frequencies come from Exploit It's full preflop tree: a chip-EV equilibrium with antes, computed for every position at the table.
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 70.2% of the hands that reach this spot, about 931 combos out of 1,326.
- Call is the main action for 51.7% of hands: from 66 down to 62s, the weakest hand played this way.
- Raise is the main action for 18.4% of hands: from AA down to 32s, the weakest hand played this way.
- Conversely, the solver plays hands ranked outside the top 100, such as J6o, J2s, 96s, T5s.
What changes at 30 bb (49 hands change action)
- TT: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
- 99: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
- 88: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
- AKs: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
- AQs: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
- AJs: raise here, all-in at 30 bb
What changes at 50 bb (17 hands change action)
- ATs: raise here, call at 50 bb
- KQs: raise here, call at 50 bb
- ATo: raise here, call at 50 bb
- KQo: raise here, call at 50 bb
- A9o: raise here, call at 50 bb
- A6s: raise here, call at 50 bb
Frequently asked questions
Which hands should you play from BB, facing an open, at 40 bb in heads-up?
The solver plays 70.2% of the hands that reach this spot, about 931 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 51.7% of hands: from 66 down to 62s, 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 call, 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 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.
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.