SB open range at 8 bb (heads-up)
When you're first to act in the SB, with an effective stack of 8 bb in a heads-up tournament, the solver plays 76.5% of its hands (limp 23.0%, all-in 53.4%) and folds 23.5%. 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 76.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,015 combos out of 1,326.
- Call is the main action for 22.9% of hands: from AA down to 82s, the weakest hand played this way.
- All-in is the main action for 53.5% of hands: from AJs down to 43s, 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 (29 hands change action)
- AJs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
- ATs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
- KJs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
- KTs: all-in here, call at 10 bb
- KQo: all-in here, call at 10 bb
- K9s: all-in here, call at 10 bb
Frequently asked questions
Which hands should you play from SB, first in, at 8 bb in heads-up?
The solver plays 76.5% of the hands that reach this spot, about 1,015 combos out of 1,326. Call is the main action for 22.9% of hands: from AA down to 82s, 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 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 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.
Push or fold, no open: the equilibrium ranges in the small blind at these depths. The full push/fold chart
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.