What to Base Your Decision on When Deciding to Call?

📌 Deux éléments clés influencent votre décision :

• Two key factors influence your decision:
• The BB’s calling range.

What Are the Tendencies of Recreational Players?

📊 BTN:

Tendency to shove too wide deep (16+ BB):

• Recreational players over-shove some marginal hands like A4o, KJo, or 22, which creates exploitation opportunities for you.

Insufficient shoving short (16 BB or less):

• BTN becomes more conservative as stacks shrink. However, their range isn't necessarily very strong.

📊 BB :

• Calls too wide against shoves.

‍

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Key Takeaway: BTN typically opens a reasonably solid range overall, and BB calls too widely behind you.</span>

What is the Best Strategy to Adopt?

📌 Caution in Deep Stacks:

• At deep stacks (14bb+), avoid calling with hands that are only slightly EV+. Although these hands may seem profitable on paper, they increase the risk of losing your stack or getting eliminated prematurely.
• Example: A hand like A7o 13bb deep may win some chips on average, but the risk of being dominated justifies a fold.

📌 Focus on Highly Profitable Calls:

• Prioritize calls with hands that clearly dominate BTN’s range, such as ATo+, A9s+, or 55+.
• This approach reduces unnecessary risks while allowing you to capture significant EV when you have a strong hand, especially since BB tends to call too widely behind us, and BTN will sometimes shove hands he shouldn't.

📌 Adapt Based on Stack Depth:

• Deep (14+ BB) : Call only with very strong hands that clearly dominate BTN.
• Short (10 BB or less) : Widen your range, as future opportunities become rare and you can’t afford to sacrifice as much EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an exploitative approach by tightening your calls with deep stacks and gradually widening them as the stacks decrease.</span>

Common Mistakes in SB vs BTN All-in

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling Too Much Against BTN’s Shove

• Calling marginal hands like A5o or 22 at deeper stack depths unnecessarily increases variance and exposes you to dominated confrontations.
  👉 Solution: Be selective with your calls, prioritizing hands with clear potential to dominate BTN’s range.

🔴 Mistake 2: Not Calling Enough Short-Stack

• At shallow depths, not calling with slightly EV+ hands like A5s or 33 can cost you valuable chips, as future opportunities are limited.
  👉 Solution: Stick closer to the GTO short-stack strategy to capture all the available EV.

What to Base Your Decision on When Deciding to Call?

📌 Deux éléments clés influencent votre décision :

• Two key factors influence your decision:
• The BB’s calling range.

What Are the Tendencies of Recreational Players?

📊 BTN:

Tendency to shove too wide deep (16+ BB):

• Recreational players over-shove some marginal hands like A4o, KJo, or 22, which creates exploitation opportunities for you.

Insufficient shoving short (16 BB or less):

• BTN becomes more conservative as stacks shrink. However, their range isn't necessarily very strong.

📊 BB :

• Calls too wide against shoves.

‍

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Key Takeaway: BTN typically opens a reasonably solid range overall, and BB calls too widely behind you.</span>

What is the Best Strategy to Adopt?

📌 Caution in Deep Stacks:

• At deep stacks (14bb+), avoid calling with hands that are only slightly EV+. Although these hands may seem profitable on paper, they increase the risk of losing your stack or getting eliminated prematurely.
• Example: A hand like A7o 13bb deep may win some chips on average, but the risk of being dominated justifies a fold.

📌 Focus on Highly Profitable Calls:

• Prioritize calls with hands that clearly dominate BTN’s range, such as ATo+, A9s+, or 55+.
• This approach reduces unnecessary risks while allowing you to capture significant EV when you have a strong hand, especially since BB tends to call too widely behind us, and BTN will sometimes shove hands he shouldn't.

📌 Adapt Based on Stack Depth:

• Deep (14+ BB) : Call only with very strong hands that clearly dominate BTN.
• Short (10 BB or less) : Widen your range, as future opportunities become rare and you can’t afford to sacrifice as much EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an exploitative approach by tightening your calls with deep stacks and gradually widening them as the stacks decrease.</span>

Common Mistakes in SB vs BTN All-in

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling Too Much Against BTN’s Shove

• Calling marginal hands like A5o or 22 at deeper stack depths unnecessarily increases variance and exposes you to dominated confrontations.
  👉 Solution: Be selective with your calls, prioritizing hands with clear potential to dominate BTN’s range.

🔴 Mistake 2: Not Calling Enough Short-Stack

• At shallow depths, not calling with slightly EV+ hands like A5s or 33 can cost you valuable chips, as future opportunities are limited.
  👉 Solution: Stick closer to the GTO short-stack strategy to capture all the available EV.

A Difficult Position That’s Important to Simplify

📌 Why is the situation complicated?

• When you’re playing in the Small Blind (SB), you’ll always be out of position, meaning your opponent (Big Blind) acts after you postflop. This disadvantage makes every decision more difficult and increases the risk of mistakes.
• Playing pots out of position with marginal hands can be frustrating and costly, especially if you're a beginner.

📌 Why simplify your strategy?

• A strategy that is too complex may be poorly executed, leading to significant losses. On the other hand, a simple approach allows you to focus on the essentials and play your hands confidently.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In a difficult position like SB vs BB, it's better to execute a simple strategy well than a complicated strategy poorly.</span>

Wide Ranges and Frequent Showdowns

📌 Why are the ranges wide?

• In blind battles (SB vs BB), neither you nor your opponent have a particularly strong range. This means you’ll often play with medium or marginal hands.
• Unlike an open from the BTN, you’ll often have to fight postflop with fewer information and weaker hands.

📌 What does this imply?

• These frequent showdowns and wide ranges make the SB particularly tricky to play. To succeed, it’s important to know how to choose the right hands and understand how your opponent in BB will respond.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Expect regular showdowns with marginal hands.</span>

Should You Fold, Limp, or Raise?

📌 Adopt a Simple Strategy: Raise or Fold

• Fold: The SB is a position where it’s better to fold a significant portion of your hands. It can even be worth folding some hands that are slightly EV+. This simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of mistakes in this tough position.
• Raise: For the hands you do play, always prefer a raise.

📌 And Limping?

• While limping can be used in some profitable ways, it complicates your strategy and your range memorization, and it’s not necessary for beginners or even for intermediate players.
• If you're comfortable, you can add a few limps to the top of your folding range, but it won’t make a big difference to your results.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 To start, keep it simple: fold or raise only. You can add limps, but this doubles your postflop workload and makes range memorization and understanding harder.</span>

Raise Shove or Standard Raise: Which to Choose?

📌 Why Opt for Open-Shoves from the SB?

As mentioned, the SB position is difficult to play. With 1.5bb of dead money already in the pot, simplifying your strategy with open-shoves (OS) can be a good option, especially when the EV is similar to a min-raise (MR).

• This avoids the common postflop errors in the SB.
• You immediately capitalize on the dead money in the pot.
• Although it increases variance, this strategy greatly simplifies your decisions.

📌 14bb+ : Exploit Overcalling with Shoves

• Recreational players in the BB tend to overcall against all-ins, especially with dominated hands.
• Hands like ATs, A9s, or 88s are very profitable in a shove. They often dominate the BB’s calling range and simplify decision-making by avoiding postflop play.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 When you have very strong hands that dominate the opponent’s range (Ax, PP), include them in your OS range to maximize their EV.</span>

📌 From 14bb: Favor OS Over MR

• With a stack of 14bb or less, many hands that might be slightly more EV+ with an MR or limp than an OS can also be shoved to simplify your decisions.
• By shoving, you maximize immediate EV and avoid postflop mistakes, even though this increases variance.

📌 What Sizing Should You Use for Standard Raises?

Adjust your sizing based on the strength of your hand:

• With strong hands, like QQ or KQ, use a larger sizing (2.5x to 3.5x) to maximize value against the BB.
• With weaker hands, use a default sizing of 2x.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Against recreational players, vary your sizing based on the strength of your hand to maximize your profits.</span>

Common Mistakes in SB vs BB

🔴 Mistake 1: Limping Too Much

• Limping too often deprives the SB of the ability to build the pot with decent hands and apply pressure on the BB.
  👉 Solution: Adopt a simple strategy with only raises or folds.

🔴 Mistake 2: Playing Too Many Hands

• Playing marginal hands that don’t play well postflop (like J5o or 64o) can put you in difficult situations.
  👉 Solution: Be selective and focus on solid hands to limit your mistakes.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not Shoving Your Strong Hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AJo or TT is a common mistake, especially since recreational players in the BB call too loosely against open shoves (OS).
  👉 Solution: Shove your strong hands that dominate the BB’s calling range.

🔴 Mistake 4: Not Shoving Enough Strong Hands

• Failing to include enough hands in your shove range starting from 14bb can be a mistake, especially if you're not entirely comfortable in the SB. While some hands might theoretically be slightly more EV+ with a min-raise (MR) than an OS, they are often more profitable in an OS in practice. This ensures perfect execution, as opposed to postflop play, which might be poorly handled after a limp or MR.
  👉 Solution: From 14bb, expand your shove range to include all hands with EV better than or close to that of MR and limping.

A Difficult Position That’s Important to Simplify

📌 Why is the situation complicated?

• When you’re playing in the Small Blind (SB), you’ll always be out of position, meaning your opponent (Big Blind) acts after you postflop. This disadvantage makes every decision more difficult and increases the risk of mistakes.
• Playing pots out of position with marginal hands can be frustrating and costly, especially if you're a beginner.

📌 Why simplify your strategy?

• A strategy that is too complex may be poorly executed, leading to significant losses. On the other hand, a simple approach allows you to focus on the essentials and play your hands confidently.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In a difficult position like SB vs BB, it's better to execute a simple strategy well than a complicated strategy poorly.</span>

Wide Ranges and Frequent Showdowns

📌 Why are the ranges wide?

• In blind battles (SB vs BB), neither you nor your opponent have a particularly strong range. This means you’ll often play with medium or marginal hands.
• Unlike an open from the BTN, you’ll often have to fight postflop with fewer information and weaker hands.

📌 What does this imply?

• These frequent showdowns and wide ranges make the SB particularly tricky to play. To succeed, it’s important to know how to choose the right hands and understand how your opponent in BB will respond.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Expect regular showdowns with marginal hands.</span>

Should You Fold, Limp, or Raise?

📌 Adopt a Simple Strategy: Raise or Fold

• Fold: The SB is a position where it’s better to fold a significant portion of your hands. It can even be worth folding some hands that are slightly EV+. This simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of mistakes in this tough position.
• Raise: For the hands you do play, always prefer a raise.

📌 And Limping?

• While limping can be used in some profitable ways, it complicates your strategy and your range memorization, and it’s not necessary for beginners or even for intermediate players.
• If you're comfortable, you can add a few limps to the top of your folding range, but it won’t make a big difference to your results.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 To start, keep it simple: fold or raise only. You can add limps, but this doubles your postflop workload and makes range memorization and understanding harder.</span>

Raise Shove or Standard Raise: Which to Choose?

📌 Why Opt for Open-Shoves from the SB?

As mentioned, the SB position is difficult to play. With 1.5bb of dead money already in the pot, simplifying your strategy with open-shoves (OS) can be a good option, especially when the EV is similar to a min-raise (MR).

• This avoids the common postflop errors in the SB.
• You immediately capitalize on the dead money in the pot.
• Although it increases variance, this strategy greatly simplifies your decisions.

📌 14bb+ : Exploit Overcalling with Shoves

• Recreational players in the BB tend to overcall against all-ins, especially with dominated hands.
• Hands like ATs, A9s, or 88s are very profitable in a shove. They often dominate the BB’s calling range and simplify decision-making by avoiding postflop play.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 When you have very strong hands that dominate the opponent’s range (Ax, PP), include them in your OS range to maximize their EV.</span>

📌 From 14bb: Favor OS Over MR

• With a stack of 14bb or less, many hands that might be slightly more EV+ with an MR or limp than an OS can also be shoved to simplify your decisions.
• By shoving, you maximize immediate EV and avoid postflop mistakes, even though this increases variance.

📌 What Sizing Should You Use for Standard Raises?

Adjust your sizing based on the strength of your hand:

• With strong hands, like QQ or KQ, use a larger sizing (2.5x to 3.5x) to maximize value against the BB.
• With weaker hands, use a default sizing of 2x.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Against recreational players, vary your sizing based on the strength of your hand to maximize your profits.</span>

Common Mistakes in SB vs BB

🔴 Mistake 1: Limping Too Much

• Limping too often deprives the SB of the ability to build the pot with decent hands and apply pressure on the BB.
  👉 Solution: Adopt a simple strategy with only raises or folds.

🔴 Mistake 2: Playing Too Many Hands

• Playing marginal hands that don’t play well postflop (like J5o or 64o) can put you in difficult situations.
  👉 Solution: Be selective and focus on solid hands to limit your mistakes.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not Shoving Your Strong Hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AJo or TT is a common mistake, especially since recreational players in the BB call too loosely against open shoves (OS).
  👉 Solution: Shove your strong hands that dominate the BB’s calling range.

🔴 Mistake 4: Not Shoving Enough Strong Hands

• Failing to include enough hands in your shove range starting from 14bb can be a mistake, especially if you're not entirely comfortable in the SB. While some hands might theoretically be slightly more EV+ with a min-raise (MR) than an OS, they are often more profitable in an OS in practice. This ensures perfect execution, as opposed to postflop play, which might be poorly handled after a limp or MR.
  👉 Solution: From 14bb, expand your shove range to include all hands with EV better than or close to that of MR and limping.

A Difficult Position That’s Important to Simplify

📌 Why is the situation complicated?

• When you’re playing in the Small Blind (SB), you’ll always be out of position, meaning your opponent (Big Blind) acts after you postflop. This disadvantage makes every decision more difficult and increases the risk of mistakes.
• Playing pots out of position with marginal hands can be frustrating and costly, especially if you're a beginner.

📌 Why simplify your strategy?

• A strategy that is too complex may be poorly executed, leading to significant losses. On the other hand, a simple approach allows you to focus on the essentials and play your hands confidently.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In a difficult position like SB vs BB, it's better to execute a simple strategy well than a complicated strategy poorly.</span>

Wide Ranges and Frequent Showdowns

📌 Why are the ranges wide?

• In blind battles (SB vs BB), neither you nor your opponent have a particularly strong range. This means you’ll often play with medium or marginal hands.
• Unlike an open from the BTN, you’ll often have to fight postflop with fewer information and weaker hands.

📌 What does this imply?

• These frequent showdowns and wide ranges make the SB particularly tricky to play. To succeed, it’s important to know how to choose the right hands and understand how your opponent in BB will respond.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Expect regular showdowns with marginal hands.</span>

Should You Fold, Limp, or Raise?

📌 Adopt a Simple Strategy: Raise or Fold

• Fold: The SB is a position where it’s better to fold a significant portion of your hands. It can even be worth folding some hands that are slightly EV+. This simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of mistakes in this tough position.
• Raise: For the hands you do play, always prefer a raise.

📌 And Limping?

• While limping can be used in some profitable ways, it complicates your strategy and your range memorization, and it’s not necessary for beginners or even for intermediate players.
• If you're comfortable, you can add a few limps to the top of your folding range, but it won’t make a big difference to your results.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 To start, keep it simple: fold or raise only. You can add limps, but this doubles your postflop workload and makes range memorization and understanding harder.</span>

Raise Shove or Standard Raise: Which to Choose?

📌 Why Opt for Open-Shoves from the SB?

As mentioned, the SB position is difficult to play. With 1.5bb of dead money already in the pot, simplifying your strategy with open-shoves (OS) can be a good option, especially when the EV is similar to a min-raise (MR).

• This avoids the common postflop errors in the SB.
• You immediately capitalize on the dead money in the pot.
• Although it increases variance, this strategy greatly simplifies your decisions.

📌 14bb+ : Exploit Overcalling with Shoves

• Recreational players in the BB tend to overcall against all-ins, especially with dominated hands.
• Hands like ATs, A9s, or 88s are very profitable in a shove. They often dominate the BB’s calling range and simplify decision-making by avoiding postflop play.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 When you have very strong hands that dominate the opponent’s range (Ax, PP), include them in your OS range to maximize their EV.</span>

📌 From 14bb: Favor OS Over MR

• With a stack of 14bb or less, many hands that might be slightly more EV+ with an MR or limp than an OS can also be shoved to simplify your decisions.
• By shoving, you maximize immediate EV and avoid postflop mistakes, even though this increases variance.

📌 What Sizing Should You Use for Standard Raises?

Adjust your sizing based on the strength of your hand:

• With strong hands, like QQ or KQ, use a larger sizing (2.5x to 3.5x) to maximize value against the BB.
• With weaker hands, use a default sizing of 2x.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Against recreational players, vary your sizing based on the strength of your hand to maximize your profits.</span>

Common Mistakes in SB vs BB

🔴 Mistake 1: Limping Too Much

• Limping too often deprives the SB of the ability to build the pot with decent hands and apply pressure on the BB.
  👉 Solution: Adopt a simple strategy with only raises or folds.

🔴 Mistake 2: Playing Too Many Hands

• Playing marginal hands that don’t play well postflop (like J5o or 64o) can put you in difficult situations.
  👉 Solution: Be selective and focus on solid hands to limit your mistakes.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not Shoving Your Strong Hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AJo or TT is a common mistake, especially since recreational players in the BB call too loosely against open shoves (OS).
  👉 Solution: Shove your strong hands that dominate the BB’s calling range.

🔴 Mistake 4: Not Shoving Enough Strong Hands

• Failing to include enough hands in your shove range starting from 14bb can be a mistake, especially if you're not entirely comfortable in the SB. While some hands might theoretically be slightly more EV+ with a min-raise (MR) than an OS, they are often more profitable in an OS in practice. This ensures perfect execution, as opposed to postflop play, which might be poorly handled after a limp or MR.
  👉 Solution: From 14bb, expand your shove range to include all hands with EV better than or close to that of MR and limping.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two limps, we can already assume that the player in the BTN is recreational and doesn't have a very strong hand, just like the player in the SB, who would likely have raised with a better hand.

In situations like this, where the opponents' ranges are marginal, there are exploitation opportunities, particularly through ISO. However, before exploiting this strategy, you need to understand how your opponents will react to an ISO and know the composition of their range.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 Tendency 1: Limp with Weak Hands

• Recreational players in BTN and SB limp a large portion of their medium hands. The SB often limps with an even weaker range than BTN, including hands like weak offsuit hands (T5o, J6o). This creates opportunities for you, as there are already 3 blinds in the pot, and the opponents' ranges are weak.

📊 Tendency 2: Call Too Frequently

• A common mistake is their tendency to call too often against your ISO or all-in. For example, they might call a 20bb ISO all-in with Q7s or A2o, which gives you the opportunity to exploit their mistakes with value ISO shoves.

Maximize Your Profits: Prioritize ISO Shove

📌 Why is Shoving Often Better?

• You immediately maximize EV by exploiting their wide calls.
• It avoids playing a complicated multiway pot postflop.
• When your opponents fold, you take down 3 blinds.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• As is often the case with ISO shoves, the ideal hands are those that dominate the opponents’ range and don’t play very well postflop. These are Ax hands and pocket pairs deep. As the effective stack gets smaller, we widen this range to include the best Ks, then all Ks and Qs.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands with 18bb+ even though it’s technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.

📌 When to Use Non-All-in ISO?

• Use non-all-in ISO only if you're comfortable postflop and have very strong hands like AA, KK, or QQ. This allows you to extract maximum value. At 14bb and below, non-all-in ISO is less relevant than when you’re 25bb deep. ISO all-in becomes the most profitable action with all ISO combos.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prioritize ISO shove for your strong hands, and use non-all-in ISO in specific cases.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Limp + Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not ISO Shoving Enough

• Many players hesitate to shove their strong hands like AJo or 66, fearing they won’t properly optimize their EV.
  👉 Solution: Consistently integrate shoves with your strong hands to exploit wide calls. This is the most profitable action.

🔴 Mistake 2: Overusing Non-All-in ISO

• Non-all-in ISO with hands like QJo or K9s can lead to complex postflop situations, especially against players who call a lot.
  👉 Solution: Reserve non-all-in ISO for premium hands like AA or KK, where you can comfortably play postflop.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two limps, we can already assume that the player in the BTN is recreational and doesn't have a very strong hand, just like the player in the SB, who would likely have raised with a better hand.

In situations like this, where the opponents' ranges are marginal, there are exploitation opportunities, particularly through ISO. However, before exploiting this strategy, you need to understand how your opponents will react to an ISO and know the composition of their range.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 Tendency 1: Limp with Weak Hands

• Recreational players in BTN and SB limp a large portion of their medium hands. The SB often limps with an even weaker range than BTN, including hands like weak offsuit hands (T5o, J6o). This creates opportunities for you, as there are already 3 blinds in the pot, and the opponents' ranges are weak.

📊 Tendency 2: Call Too Frequently

• A common mistake is their tendency to call too often against your ISO or all-in. For example, they might call a 20bb ISO all-in with Q7s or A2o, which gives you the opportunity to exploit their mistakes with value ISO shoves.

Maximize Your Profits: Prioritize ISO Shove

📌 Why is Shoving Often Better?

• You immediately maximize EV by exploiting their wide calls.
• It avoids playing a complicated multiway pot postflop.
• When your opponents fold, you take down 3 blinds.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• As is often the case with ISO shoves, the ideal hands are those that dominate the opponents’ range and don’t play very well postflop. These are Ax hands and pocket pairs deep. As the effective stack gets smaller, we widen this range to include the best Ks, then all Ks and Qs.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands with 18bb+ even though it’s technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.

📌 When to Use Non-All-in ISO?

• Use non-all-in ISO only if you're comfortable postflop and have very strong hands like AA, KK, or QQ. This allows you to extract maximum value. At 14bb and below, non-all-in ISO is less relevant than when you’re 25bb deep. ISO all-in becomes the most profitable action with all ISO combos.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prioritize ISO shove for your strong hands, and use non-all-in ISO in specific cases.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Limp + Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not ISO Shoving Enough

• Many players hesitate to shove their strong hands like AJo or 66, fearing they won’t properly optimize their EV.
  👉 Solution: Consistently integrate shoves with your strong hands to exploit wide calls. This is the most profitable action.

🔴 Mistake 2: Overusing Non-All-in ISO

• Non-all-in ISO with hands like QJo or K9s can lead to complex postflop situations, especially against players who call a lot.
  👉 Solution: Reserve non-all-in ISO for premium hands like AA or KK, where you can comfortably play postflop.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two limps, we can already assume that the player in the BTN is recreational and doesn't have a very strong hand, just like the player in the SB, who would likely have raised with a better hand.

In situations like this, where the opponents' ranges are marginal, there are exploitation opportunities, particularly through ISO. However, before exploiting this strategy, you need to understand how your opponents will react to an ISO and know the composition of their range.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 Tendency 1: Limp with Weak Hands

• Recreational players in BTN and SB limp a large portion of their medium hands. The SB often limps with an even weaker range than BTN, including hands like weak offsuit hands (T5o, J6o). This creates opportunities for you, as there are already 3 blinds in the pot, and the opponents' ranges are weak.

📊 Tendency 2: Call Too Frequently

• A common mistake is their tendency to call too often against your ISO or all-in. For example, they might call a 20bb ISO all-in with Q7s or A2o, which gives you the opportunity to exploit their mistakes with value ISO shoves.

Maximize Your Profits: Prioritize ISO Shove

📌 Why is Shoving Often Better?

• You immediately maximize EV by exploiting their wide calls.
• It avoids playing a complicated multiway pot postflop.
• When your opponents fold, you take down 3 blinds.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• As is often the case with ISO shoves, the ideal hands are those that dominate the opponents’ range and don’t play very well postflop. These are Ax hands and pocket pairs deep. As the effective stack gets smaller, we widen this range to include the best Ks, then all Ks and Qs.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands with 18bb+ even though it’s technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.

📌 When to Use Non-All-in ISO?

• Use non-all-in ISO only if you're comfortable postflop and have very strong hands like AA, KK, or QQ. This allows you to extract maximum value. At 14bb and below, non-all-in ISO is less relevant than when you’re 25bb deep. ISO all-in becomes the most profitable action with all ISO combos.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prioritize ISO shove for your strong hands, and use non-all-in ISO in specific cases.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Limp + Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not ISO Shoving Enough

• Many players hesitate to shove their strong hands like AJo or 66, fearing they won’t properly optimize their EV.
  👉 Solution: Consistently integrate shoves with your strong hands to exploit wide calls. This is the most profitable action.

🔴 Mistake 2: Overusing Non-All-in ISO

• Non-all-in ISO with hands like QJo or K9s can lead to complex postflop situations, especially against players who call a lot.
  👉 Solution: Reserve non-all-in ISO for premium hands like AA or KK, where you can comfortably play postflop.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two raises, we typically encounter a solid range from BTN and a somewhat capped range from SB, as the latter would have 3-bet with their better hands. If SB is a recreational player, they will also tend to call too often in SB, which significantly weakens their range compared to what it should be.

With 5bb of dead money in the pot and only one solid range (BTN), it's possible to exploit SB's excessive calls. However, to achieve this, a more detailed analysis of their ranges is needed, particularly their calling range against an all-in.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 BTN :

• Minraises with a range generally close to GTO, meaning it's quite strong, but it can include some random hands.
• Calls far too often against a shove, even with marginal hands, which makes shoves highly EV+.

📊 SB :

• Calls way too much against BTN's minraise, often with medium hands.
• Also calls too frequently against a squeeze shove.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 We are facing two moderate ranges, in a pot with 5bb already, and our opponents call too many dominated hands when we decide to shove.</span>

Recommended Strategy

📌 Prioritize Squeeze Shoves

• With about 5bb of dead money it’s often more profitable to shove your strong hands directly to capture the pot immediately.
• This simplifies your decision and maximizes your EV, as BTN and SB call too much with dominated hands.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• Hands that dominate the opponents' calling ranges, such as Ax, KQ, and pocket pairs, are ideal for a shove.
• As the effective stack gets smaller, you’ll need to widen your ISO shove range.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands or pocket pairs 22-44 with 20bb+, even though it's technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.
• This approach limits variance and ensures better control of your game, especially early on (this is how our ranges were developed).

📌 When to Call in BB?

• The pot odds for calling are very favorable, allowing you to defend most of your range. However, BTN’s range remains quite strong, so it's justified to fold a small portion of your weakest hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an aggressive approach with your strong hands and call with most of the rest.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Minraise + Call

🔴 Mistake 1: Not Squeezing All-in Enough

• Not shoving your strong hands often enough can significantly reduce your EV.
  👉 Solution: Use squeeze shoves exploitatively to capture the dead money in the pot and take advantage of your opponents' excessive calls.

🔴 Mistake 2: Defending Too Many Weak Hands

• Calling with hands like 73o or J2o isn’t very profitable, even if you're only adding 1bb to a pot of 5.
  👉 Solution: Don’t defend 100% of your range and fold the bottom of your range.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two raises, we typically encounter a solid range from BTN and a somewhat capped range from SB, as the latter would have 3-bet with their better hands. If SB is a recreational player, they will also tend to call too often in SB, which significantly weakens their range compared to what it should be.

With 5bb of dead money in the pot and only one solid range (BTN), it's possible to exploit SB's excessive calls. However, to achieve this, a more detailed analysis of their ranges is needed, particularly their calling range against an all-in.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 BTN :

• Minraises with a range generally close to GTO, meaning it's quite strong, but it can include some random hands.
• Calls far too often against a shove, even with marginal hands, which makes shoves highly EV+.

📊 SB :

• Calls way too much against BTN's minraise, often with medium hands.
• Also calls too frequently against a squeeze shove.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 We are facing two moderate ranges, in a pot with 5bb already, and our opponents call too many dominated hands when we decide to shove.</span>

Recommended Strategy

📌 Prioritize Squeeze Shoves

• With about 5bb of dead money it’s often more profitable to shove your strong hands directly to capture the pot immediately.
• This simplifies your decision and maximizes your EV, as BTN and SB call too much with dominated hands.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• Hands that dominate the opponents' calling ranges, such as Ax, KQ, and pocket pairs, are ideal for a shove.
• As the effective stack gets smaller, you’ll need to widen your ISO shove range.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands or pocket pairs 22-44 with 20bb+, even though it's technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.
• This approach limits variance and ensures better control of your game, especially early on (this is how our ranges were developed).

📌 When to Call in BB?

• The pot odds for calling are very favorable, allowing you to defend most of your range. However, BTN’s range remains quite strong, so it's justified to fold a small portion of your weakest hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an aggressive approach with your strong hands and call with most of the rest.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Minraise + Call

🔴 Mistake 1: Not Squeezing All-in Enough

• Not shoving your strong hands often enough can significantly reduce your EV.
  👉 Solution: Use squeeze shoves exploitatively to capture the dead money in the pot and take advantage of your opponents' excessive calls.

🔴 Mistake 2: Defending Too Many Weak Hands

• Calling with hands like 73o or J2o isn’t very profitable, even if you're only adding 1bb to a pot of 5.
  👉 Solution: Don’t defend 100% of your range and fold the bottom of your range.

Quick Situation Analysis

Facing two raises, we typically encounter a solid range from BTN and a somewhat capped range from SB, as the latter would have 3-bet with their better hands. If SB is a recreational player, they will also tend to call too often in SB, which significantly weakens their range compared to what it should be.

With 5bb of dead money in the pot and only one solid range (BTN), it's possible to exploit SB's excessive calls. However, to achieve this, a more detailed analysis of their ranges is needed, particularly their calling range against an all-in.

What Are the Opponents’ Tendencies?

📊 BTN :

• Minraises with a range generally close to GTO, meaning it's quite strong, but it can include some random hands.
• Calls far too often against a shove, even with marginal hands, which makes shoves highly EV+.

📊 SB :

• Calls way too much against BTN's minraise, often with medium hands.
• Also calls too frequently against a squeeze shove.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 We are facing two moderate ranges, in a pot with 5bb already, and our opponents call too many dominated hands when we decide to shove.</span>

Recommended Strategy

📌 Prioritize Squeeze Shoves

• With about 5bb of dead money it’s often more profitable to shove your strong hands directly to capture the pot immediately.
• This simplifies your decision and maximizes your EV, as BTN and SB call too much with dominated hands.

📌 Which Hands to Shove?

• Hands that dominate the opponents' calling ranges, such as Ax, KQ, and pocket pairs, are ideal for a shove.
• As the effective stack gets smaller, you’ll need to widen your ISO shove range.

📌 Caution with Slightly EV+ Hands:

• Avoid shoving small Axo hands or pocket pairs 22-44 with 20bb+, even though it's technically more EV+ than just calling. This increases the risk of elimination for a minimal EV gain. By playing more cautiously, you preserve the opportunity to access potentially much more profitable spots in the future.
• This approach limits variance and ensures better control of your game, especially early on (this is how our ranges were developed).

📌 When to Call in BB?

• The pot odds for calling are very favorable, allowing you to defend most of your range. However, BTN’s range remains quite strong, so it's justified to fold a small portion of your weakest hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an aggressive approach with your strong hands and call with most of the rest.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs Minraise + Call

🔴 Mistake 1: Not Squeezing All-in Enough

• Not shoving your strong hands often enough can significantly reduce your EV.
  👉 Solution: Use squeeze shoves exploitatively to capture the dead money in the pot and take advantage of your opponents' excessive calls.

🔴 Mistake 2: Defending Too Many Weak Hands

• Calling with hands like 73o or J2o isn’t very profitable, even if you're only adding 1bb to a pot of 5.
  👉 Solution: Don’t defend 100% of your range and fold the bottom of your range.

Even if BU is a Recreational Player, Don’t Call Too Much

📊 What’s in BU’s open range?

• Recreational players open-raise relatively infrequently, but with a range that’s not as strong as it might seem. It’s generally similar to the GTO range, including:
  • Pocket pairs (22+).
  • Ax
  • Broadways (KJo, QTo, etc.).
• ery strong hands like AA, KK, or AKs are sometimes played differently (open-shove or 3x).

📌 Why avoid calling too wide?

• Being out of position against a recreational player remains a significant disadvantage, even if your skill level is better than theirs.
• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in difficult postflop situations, causing you to lose chips unnecessarily.

📌 Note on BTN’s open sizing

• Our charts are designed for a standard BTN open (2bb). However, it’s important to note that recreational players use different open sizes.
• In most cases, the size of their raise is an indicator of the strength of their hand: the larger the sizing (2.5x, 3x, 4x, or more), the stronger their hand generally is.
• Therefore, facing such a sizing, you should significantly tighten your calling range. This is especially relevant as the larger the preflop sizing, the more likely they are to c-bet frequently with large sizes.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 BTN's range is quite solid. Against this range, you should only call with hands that play well postflop.</span>

Shove Your Strong Hands and Forget About Bluffing

📊 Why avoid bluffs in 3-betting?

Recreational players have a hard time folding once they’ve invested in the pot.

• They often call too much against non-all-in 3-bets.
• Bluffing increases variance unnecessarily and exposes you to complex postflop decisions.

📌 Why prioritize 3-bet shoves in value?

• 3-bet shoves directly exploit their tendency to call too much with weak hands.
• By shoving, you simplify your decisions, avoiding the complications of postflop play.‍
• The 3-bet shove maximizes your EV with your best hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Favor 3-bet shoves with your best hands (AT+, 55+...) and completely eliminate 3-bet bluffs from your strategy.</span>

Common Mistakes BB vs BU Open

🔴 Mistake #1: Calling too wide

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in tough out-of-position spots.
  👉 Solution: Call only with solid hands that play well postflop.

🔴 Mistake #2: Bluffing in 3-bet

• Bluffs are rarely effective against recreational players who call too often.
  👉 Solution: Stop bluffing and focus on value 3-bet shoves.

🔴 Mistake #3: Not shoving your best hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AKo or TT is an EV loss against a recreational player who calls too often.
  👉 Solution: Exploit their weakness by using exploitative 3-bet shoves.

‍

Even if BU is a Recreational Player, Don’t Call Too Much

📊 What’s in BU’s open range?

• Recreational players open-raise relatively infrequently, but with a range that’s not as strong as it might seem. It’s generally similar to the GTO range, including:
  • Pocket pairs (22+).
  • Ax
  • Broadways (KJo, QTo, etc.).
• ery strong hands like AA, KK, or AKs are sometimes played differently (open-shove or 3x).

📌 Why avoid calling too wide?

• Being out of position against a recreational player remains a significant disadvantage, even if your skill level is better than theirs.
• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in difficult postflop situations, causing you to lose chips unnecessarily.

📌 Note on BTN’s open sizing

• Our charts are designed for a standard BTN open (2bb). However, it’s important to note that recreational players use different open sizes.
• In most cases, the size of their raise is an indicator of the strength of their hand: the larger the sizing (2.5x, 3x, 4x, or more), the stronger their hand generally is.
• Therefore, facing such a sizing, you should significantly tighten your calling range. This is especially relevant as the larger the preflop sizing, the more likely they are to c-bet frequently with large sizes.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 BTN's range is quite solid. Against this range, you should only call with hands that play well postflop.</span>

Shove Your Strong Hands and Forget About Bluffing

📊 Why avoid bluffs in 3-betting?

Recreational players have a hard time folding once they’ve invested in the pot.

• They often call too much against non-all-in 3-bets.
• Bluffing increases variance unnecessarily and exposes you to complex postflop decisions.

📌 Why prioritize 3-bet shoves in value?

• 3-bet shoves directly exploit their tendency to call too much with weak hands.
• By shoving, you simplify your decisions, avoiding the complications of postflop play.‍
• The 3-bet shove maximizes your EV with your best hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Favor 3-bet shoves with your best hands (AT+, 55+...) and completely eliminate 3-bet bluffs from your strategy.</span>

Common Mistakes BB vs BU Open

🔴 Mistake #1: Calling too wide

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in tough out-of-position spots.
  👉 Solution: Call only with solid hands that play well postflop.

🔴 Mistake #2: Bluffing in 3-bet

• Bluffs are rarely effective against recreational players who call too often.
  👉 Solution: Stop bluffing and focus on value 3-bet shoves.

🔴 Mistake #3: Not shoving your best hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AKo or TT is an EV loss against a recreational player who calls too often.
  👉 Solution: Exploit their weakness by using exploitative 3-bet shoves.

‍

Even if BU is a Recreational Player, Don’t Call Too Much

📊 What’s in BU’s open range?

• Recreational players open-raise relatively infrequently, but with a range that’s not as strong as it might seem. It’s generally similar to the GTO range, including:
  • Pocket pairs (22+).
  • Ax
  • Broadways (KJo, QTo, etc.).
• ery strong hands like AA, KK, or AKs are sometimes played differently (open-shove or 3x).

📌 Why avoid calling too wide?

• Being out of position against a recreational player remains a significant disadvantage, even if your skill level is better than theirs.
• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in difficult postflop situations, causing you to lose chips unnecessarily.

📌 Note on BTN’s open sizing

• Our charts are designed for a standard BTN open (2bb). However, it’s important to note that recreational players use different open sizes.
• In most cases, the size of their raise is an indicator of the strength of their hand: the larger the sizing (2.5x, 3x, 4x, or more), the stronger their hand generally is.
• Therefore, facing such a sizing, you should significantly tighten your calling range. This is especially relevant as the larger the preflop sizing, the more likely they are to c-bet frequently with large sizes.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 BTN's range is quite solid. Against this range, you should only call with hands that play well postflop.</span>

Shove Your Strong Hands and Forget About Bluffing

📊 Why avoid bluffs in 3-betting?

Recreational players have a hard time folding once they’ve invested in the pot.

• They often call too much against non-all-in 3-bets.
• Bluffing increases variance unnecessarily and exposes you to complex postflop decisions.

📌 Why prioritize 3-bet shoves in value?

• 3-bet shoves directly exploit their tendency to call too much with weak hands.
• By shoving, you simplify your decisions, avoiding the complications of postflop play.‍
• The 3-bet shove maximizes your EV with your best hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Favor 3-bet shoves with your best hands (AT+, 55+...) and completely eliminate 3-bet bluffs from your strategy.</span>

Common Mistakes BB vs BU Open

🔴 Mistake #1: Calling too wide

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 95o can put you in tough out-of-position spots.
  👉 Solution: Call only with solid hands that play well postflop.

🔴 Mistake #2: Bluffing in 3-bet

• Bluffs are rarely effective against recreational players who call too often.
  👉 Solution: Stop bluffing and focus on value 3-bet shoves.

🔴 Mistake #3: Not shoving your best hands

• Hesitating to shove hands like AKo or TT is an EV loss against a recreational player who calls too often.
  👉 Solution: Exploit their weakness by using exploitative 3-bet shoves.

‍

Stay Patient with a Deep Stack

📊 Why play tight against an all-in?

• BTN rarely shoves, but when they do, their range is decent, made up of hands like pocket pairs (22+), Ax offsuit, and a few broadways (KQo, QJo).

• Even though some slightly EV+ hands (like A7o or 55) may seem tempting to call, we don’t want to play flips that deep. Since we have a strategic edge over BTN, we want to prolong the game and wait for more profitable spots. Risking our game for a marginal gain is unnecessary, especially with 14bb or more.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 With a deep stack, it's best to call only solid hands (very solid, AT+, 55+...)</span>

Widen your range as the effective stack decreases

📊 Why call wider when short?

• With less than 12bb, opportunities to make up for missed EV become rare. Every spot counts, and it's important to capture all the available EV.
• BTN’s open-raise range starts to look more like GTO, which justifies widening our calling range.
• With very short stacks (8bb or less), we must almost call the GTO range to avoid sacrificing EV. This means calling more Ax hands, all pocket pairs, and more broadways.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an exploitative approach by tightening your calls when deep and gradually widening them as stacks decrease.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs BTN Open Shove

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too often with a deep stack.

• Calling hands like A7o or 55 at 20bb deep may seem correct, but it unnecessarily increases variance.
  👉 Solution: Be patient and wait for spots where your edge can shine more.

🔴 Mistake 2: Not calling enough when short.

• With 12bb or less, not calling slightly EV+ hands like A7o or 33 is a significant EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Stick closer to the GTO strategy to capture all the available EV.

Stay Patient with a Deep Stack

📊 Why play tight against an all-in?

• BTN rarely shoves, but when they do, their range is decent, made up of hands like pocket pairs (22+), Ax offsuit, and a few broadways (KQo, QJo).

• Even though some slightly EV+ hands (like A7o or 55) may seem tempting to call, we don’t want to play flips that deep. Since we have a strategic edge over BTN, we want to prolong the game and wait for more profitable spots. Risking our game for a marginal gain is unnecessary, especially with 14bb or more.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 With a deep stack, it's best to call only solid hands (very solid, AT+, 55+...)</span>

Widen your range as the effective stack decreases

📊 Why call wider when short?

• With less than 12bb, opportunities to make up for missed EV become rare. Every spot counts, and it's important to capture all the available EV.
• BTN’s open-raise range starts to look more like GTO, which justifies widening our calling range.
• With very short stacks (8bb or less), we must almost call the GTO range to avoid sacrificing EV. This means calling more Ax hands, all pocket pairs, and more broadways.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an exploitative approach by tightening your calls when deep and gradually widening them as stacks decrease.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs BTN Open Shove

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too often with a deep stack.

• Calling hands like A7o or 55 at 20bb deep may seem correct, but it unnecessarily increases variance.
  👉 Solution: Be patient and wait for spots where your edge can shine more.

🔴 Mistake 2: Not calling enough when short.

• With 12bb or less, not calling slightly EV+ hands like A7o or 33 is a significant EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Stick closer to the GTO strategy to capture all the available EV.

Stay Patient with a Deep Stack

📊 Why play tight against an all-in?

• BTN rarely shoves, but when they do, their range is decent, made up of hands like pocket pairs (22+), Ax offsuit, and a few broadways (KQo, QJo).

• Even though some slightly EV+ hands (like A7o or 55) may seem tempting to call, we don’t want to play flips that deep. Since we have a strategic edge over BTN, we want to prolong the game and wait for more profitable spots. Risking our game for a marginal gain is unnecessary, especially with 14bb or more.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 With a deep stack, it's best to call only solid hands (very solid, AT+, 55+...)</span>

Widen your range as the effective stack decreases

📊 Why call wider when short?

• With less than 12bb, opportunities to make up for missed EV become rare. Every spot counts, and it's important to capture all the available EV.
• BTN’s open-raise range starts to look more like GTO, which justifies widening our calling range.
• With very short stacks (8bb or less), we must almost call the GTO range to avoid sacrificing EV. This means calling more Ax hands, all pocket pairs, and more broadways.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Adopt an exploitative approach by tightening your calls when deep and gradually widening them as stacks decrease.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB vs BTN Open Shove

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too often with a deep stack.

• Calling hands like A7o or 55 at 20bb deep may seem correct, but it unnecessarily increases variance.
  👉 Solution: Be patient and wait for spots where your edge can shine more.

🔴 Mistake 2: Not calling enough when short.

• With 12bb or less, not calling slightly EV+ hands like A7o or 33 is a significant EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Stick closer to the GTO strategy to capture all the available EV.

Quick Analysis of the Situation

When you're in the Big Blind (BB) facing a limp from the Small Blind (SB) in a 3-way situation, you have a strategically advantageous position. You're playing in position postflop against SB, which is a big advantage for exploiting their mistakes.

Limping is a common action among recreational players. They use it with a very wide range, but rarely with their best hands (AA, AK, etc.). This gives you an opportunity to isolate their weak hands and take control of the pot.

Why isolate with your best hands non-all-in?

📌 Exploit the weakness of the limp

When SB limps, they are showing a wide and often weak range, typically at best including hands like small Ax, medium broadways, or suited connectors. By isolating with your best hands, you:

• Take control of the pot in position.
• Build the pot when you dominate SB’s range.
• Force SB to play out of position postflop, a major disadvantage for them.
• Don’t let SB see a flop for free with a very wide range, reducing their opportunities to realize their equity.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prefer non-all-in ISO with your best hands.</span>

What sizing to use to isolate ?

📌 Adjust the size of your ISO based on your hand:

• Weaker hands to ISO (like T9s, J9s): A small sizing between 2x and 2.5x is enough.
• Strong hands (like AQo, JJ+): A larger sizing between 3x and 3.5x allows you to maximize value and exploit the fact that SB calls too often.

📌 Why this approach works:

• Recreational players don’t notice the sizing variations and don’t adjust. This allows you to extract more value with your strong hands without risking being "face up."

Why avoid ISO All-in in most cases?

📌 The problem with ISO shove 14bb+:

• Shoving hands like AQ or 88 at 20bb or more may seem attractive, but it yields less EV than a non-all-in ISO. The ISO shove takes away your advantage of playing postflop in position, where you can easily exploit your opponents’ mistakes.

📌 When does ISO shove become relevant?

• The lower your stack (less than 14bb), the more attractive ISO shove becomes. At these depths, it simplifies decisions with your best hands that don’t play well postflop and maximizes your fold equity.‍
• These hands include Ax offsuit and small pocket pairs. Starting from 8bb, Kx and all Ax hands are also profitable.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 As long as you have more than 14bb, prefer non-all-in ISO to maximize your gains while playing postflop. With less than 14bb, you can ISO shove hands that don't play well postflop but have good equity against your opponent’s range.</span>

Mistakes to Avoid Against an SB Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not isolating enough.

• Letting SB see a flop for free with a very wide range is a big EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Always isolate with your strong hands to take advantage of your postflop edge.

🔴 Mistake 2: ISO shoving too often.

• Shoving hands like AQ or 99 at 20bb deep is not as profitable as non-all-in ISO.
  👉 Solution: Prefer non-all-in ISO unless you’re short-stacked (less than 14bb).

Quick Analysis of the Situation

When you're in the Big Blind (BB) facing a limp from the Small Blind (SB) in a 3-way situation, you have a strategically advantageous position. You're playing in position postflop against SB, which is a big advantage for exploiting their mistakes.

Limping is a common action among recreational players. They use it with a very wide range, but rarely with their best hands (AA, AK, etc.). This gives you an opportunity to isolate their weak hands and take control of the pot.

Why isolate with your best hands non-all-in?

📌 Exploit the weakness of the limp

When SB limps, they are showing a wide and often weak range, typically at best including hands like small Ax, medium broadways, or suited connectors. By isolating with your best hands, you:

• Take control of the pot in position.
• Build the pot when you dominate SB’s range.
• Force SB to play out of position postflop, a major disadvantage for them.
• Don’t let SB see a flop for free with a very wide range, reducing their opportunities to realize their equity.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prefer non-all-in ISO with your best hands.</span>

What sizing to use to isolate ?

📌 Adjust the size of your ISO based on your hand:

• Weaker hands to ISO (like T9s, J9s): A small sizing between 2x and 2.5x is enough.
• Strong hands (like AQo, JJ+): A larger sizing between 3x and 3.5x allows you to maximize value and exploit the fact that SB calls too often.

📌 Why this approach works:

• Recreational players don’t notice the sizing variations and don’t adjust. This allows you to extract more value with your strong hands without risking being "face up."

Why avoid ISO All-in in most cases?

📌 The problem with ISO shove 14bb+:

• Shoving hands like AQ or 88 at 20bb or more may seem attractive, but it yields less EV than a non-all-in ISO. The ISO shove takes away your advantage of playing postflop in position, where you can easily exploit your opponents’ mistakes.

📌 When does ISO shove become relevant?

• The lower your stack (less than 14bb), the more attractive ISO shove becomes. At these depths, it simplifies decisions with your best hands that don’t play well postflop and maximizes your fold equity.‍
• These hands include Ax offsuit and small pocket pairs. Starting from 8bb, Kx and all Ax hands are also profitable.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 As long as you have more than 14bb, prefer non-all-in ISO to maximize your gains while playing postflop. With less than 14bb, you can ISO shove hands that don't play well postflop but have good equity against your opponent’s range.</span>

Mistakes to Avoid Against an SB Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not isolating enough.

• Letting SB see a flop for free with a very wide range is a big EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Always isolate with your strong hands to take advantage of your postflop edge.

🔴 Mistake 2: ISO shoving too often.

• Shoving hands like AQ or 99 at 20bb deep is not as profitable as non-all-in ISO.
  👉 Solution: Prefer non-all-in ISO unless you’re short-stacked (less than 14bb).

Quick Analysis of the Situation

When you're in the Big Blind (BB) facing a limp from the Small Blind (SB) in a 3-way situation, you have a strategically advantageous position. You're playing in position postflop against SB, which is a big advantage for exploiting their mistakes.

Limping is a common action among recreational players. They use it with a very wide range, but rarely with their best hands (AA, AK, etc.). This gives you an opportunity to isolate their weak hands and take control of the pot.

Why isolate with your best hands non-all-in?

📌 Exploit the weakness of the limp

When SB limps, they are showing a wide and often weak range, typically at best including hands like small Ax, medium broadways, or suited connectors. By isolating with your best hands, you:

• Take control of the pot in position.
• Build the pot when you dominate SB’s range.
• Force SB to play out of position postflop, a major disadvantage for them.
• Don’t let SB see a flop for free with a very wide range, reducing their opportunities to realize their equity.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Prefer non-all-in ISO with your best hands.</span>

What sizing to use to isolate ?

📌 Adjust the size of your ISO based on your hand:

• Weaker hands to ISO (like T9s, J9s): A small sizing between 2x and 2.5x is enough.
• Strong hands (like AQo, JJ+): A larger sizing between 3x and 3.5x allows you to maximize value and exploit the fact that SB calls too often.

📌 Why this approach works:

• Recreational players don’t notice the sizing variations and don’t adjust. This allows you to extract more value with your strong hands without risking being "face up."

Why avoid ISO All-in in most cases?

📌 The problem with ISO shove 14bb+:

• Shoving hands like AQ or 88 at 20bb or more may seem attractive, but it yields less EV than a non-all-in ISO. The ISO shove takes away your advantage of playing postflop in position, where you can easily exploit your opponents’ mistakes.

📌 When does ISO shove become relevant?

• The lower your stack (less than 14bb), the more attractive ISO shove becomes. At these depths, it simplifies decisions with your best hands that don’t play well postflop and maximizes your fold equity.‍
• These hands include Ax offsuit and small pocket pairs. Starting from 8bb, Kx and all Ax hands are also profitable.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 As long as you have more than 14bb, prefer non-all-in ISO to maximize your gains while playing postflop. With less than 14bb, you can ISO shove hands that don't play well postflop but have good equity against your opponent’s range.</span>

Mistakes to Avoid Against an SB Limp

🔴 Mistake 1: Not isolating enough.

• Letting SB see a flop for free with a very wide range is a big EV loss.
  👉 Solution: Always isolate with your strong hands to take advantage of your postflop edge.

🔴 Mistake 2: ISO shoving too often.

• Shoving hands like AQ or 99 at 20bb deep is not as profitable as non-all-in ISO.
  👉 Solution: Prefer non-all-in ISO unless you’re short-stacked (less than 14bb).

What’s in the SB open range?

📊 SB raises too little preflop

• In general, recreational players in SB open-raise much less than GTO.
• Their open range is a bit stronger than expected, with hands like Ax, broadways (KQ, QJ), and pairs in particular.

📊 The open sizing is often revealing

• Recreational players vary their sizing between 2x and 4x, but their choice is not random:
  • A 2x sizing is often used with a merged, very wide range, often excluding premium hands.
  • A 3x or larger sizing typically indicates a stronger range, composed of solid Ax hands, suited broadways, TT+.

• The larger the sizing, the more cautious you need to be. Opens of 3x or 4x deserve more respect, and you need to tighten your defense range significantly.

📊 SB calls too much against 3-bets

• Recreational players have difficulty folding after they’ve already invested money in the pot.
• Whether it's a non-all-in 3-bet (NA) or a 3-bet shove, they call way too much.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 SB calls way too much against 3-bets.</span>

How to adapt our strategy?

📌 Avoid 3-bet bluffs

• Bluffing against a recreational player in SB is rarely a good idea. Their tendency to call too often makes bluffs ineffective and unnecessarily increases variance.
• The best thing to do is to eliminate 3-bet bluffs and focus on value 3-bets that will fully exploit their tendency to call with weak hands.‍

📌 Exploit the excess of calls with 3-bet shoves

• Against a player who calls too much, 3-bet shoving becomes the most EV+ move.
• It’s not about shoving way more than GTO to exploit your opponents, the simple act of shoving your best hands increases the EV of every hand because recreational players will call with many dominated hands (A5o, KJo…).
• In comparison, a non-all-in 3-bet is less effective, because they call with the same hands but leave us playing a complicated pot postflop.

📌 Which hands to 3-bet shove?

• Hands that dominate the call ranges of your opponents, like the best Ax and best pocket pairs.
• Even 10bb deep, you need to remain tight, as SB’s open range is typically strong.

📌 Adapting your call range

• The majority of your range will be played by calling since being in position offers a strategic advantage. This allows you to exploit SB, who will often make mistakes out of position, by slightly widening your call range.
• However, it's important to stay selective since SB’s open range is generally solid.
• In the end, your call range remains close to what GTO recommends at 10bb+.

📌 Adapting your range according to open sizing

• Our charts have been calculated against an open sizing of 2.5bb 12bb, and 2bb 12bb-.
• You can adapt your call range depending on SB's sizing as follows:‍
• Against a 2bb 12bb+: you can widen your call range (compared to our tables).‍
• Against a 2.5bb 12bb- or 3x+: tighten your range drastically and only play solid hands to avoid complicated postflop pots.

‍

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Only prioritize 3-bet shoves with your best hands, and adapt your calls based on SB’s open sizing.</span>

Common Preflop Mistakes in BB vs SB Open

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too much against SB’s opens.

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 62o against a standard open increases variance unnecessarily.
  ✅ Solution: Be selective and adjust your call range based on SB's sizing.

🔴 Mistake 2: Including 3-bet bluffs.

• Bluffs are ineffective because recreational players call too frequently against 3-bets.
  ✅ Solution: Remove 3-bet bluffs and focus solely on value 3-bets, which will be far more profitable.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not shoving your best hands.

• Not using the 3-bet shove with your best hands against SB is a significant loss of EV.
  ✅ Solution: Exploit the excess of calls from recreational players by shoving your strong hands to maximize your gains.

What’s in the SB open range?

📊 SB raises too little preflop

• In general, recreational players in SB open-raise much less than GTO.
• Their open range is a bit stronger than expected, with hands like Ax, broadways (KQ, QJ), and pairs in particular.

📊 The open sizing is often revealing

• Recreational players vary their sizing between 2x and 4x, but their choice is not random:
  • A 2x sizing is often used with a merged, very wide range, often excluding premium hands.
  • A 3x or larger sizing typically indicates a stronger range, composed of solid Ax hands, suited broadways, TT+.

• The larger the sizing, the more cautious you need to be. Opens of 3x or 4x deserve more respect, and you need to tighten your defense range significantly.

📊 SB calls too much against 3-bets

• Recreational players have difficulty folding after they’ve already invested money in the pot.
• Whether it's a non-all-in 3-bet (NA) or a 3-bet shove, they call way too much.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 SB calls way too much against 3-bets.</span>

How to adapt our strategy?

📌 Avoid 3-bet bluffs

• Bluffing against a recreational player in SB is rarely a good idea. Their tendency to call too often makes bluffs ineffective and unnecessarily increases variance.
• The best thing to do is to eliminate 3-bet bluffs and focus on value 3-bets that will fully exploit their tendency to call with weak hands.‍

📌 Exploit the excess of calls with 3-bet shoves

• Against a player who calls too much, 3-bet shoving becomes the most EV+ move.
• It’s not about shoving way more than GTO to exploit your opponents, the simple act of shoving your best hands increases the EV of every hand because recreational players will call with many dominated hands (A5o, KJo…).
• In comparison, a non-all-in 3-bet is less effective, because they call with the same hands but leave us playing a complicated pot postflop.

📌 Which hands to 3-bet shove?

• Hands that dominate the call ranges of your opponents, like the best Ax and best pocket pairs.
• Even 10bb deep, you need to remain tight, as SB’s open range is typically strong.

📌 Adapting your call range

• The majority of your range will be played by calling since being in position offers a strategic advantage. This allows you to exploit SB, who will often make mistakes out of position, by slightly widening your call range.
• However, it's important to stay selective since SB’s open range is generally solid.
• In the end, your call range remains close to what GTO recommends at 10bb+.

📌 Adapting your range according to open sizing

• Our charts have been calculated against an open sizing of 2.5bb 12bb, and 2bb 12bb-.
• You can adapt your call range depending on SB's sizing as follows:‍
• Against a 2bb 12bb+: you can widen your call range (compared to our tables).‍
• Against a 2.5bb 12bb- or 3x+: tighten your range drastically and only play solid hands to avoid complicated postflop pots.

‍

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Only prioritize 3-bet shoves with your best hands, and adapt your calls based on SB’s open sizing.</span>

Common Preflop Mistakes in BB vs SB Open

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too much against SB’s opens.

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 62o against a standard open increases variance unnecessarily.
  ✅ Solution: Be selective and adjust your call range based on SB's sizing.

🔴 Mistake 2: Including 3-bet bluffs.

• Bluffs are ineffective because recreational players call too frequently against 3-bets.
  ✅ Solution: Remove 3-bet bluffs and focus solely on value 3-bets, which will be far more profitable.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not shoving your best hands.

• Not using the 3-bet shove with your best hands against SB is a significant loss of EV.
  ✅ Solution: Exploit the excess of calls from recreational players by shoving your strong hands to maximize your gains.

What’s in the SB open range?

📊 SB raises too little preflop

• In general, recreational players in SB open-raise much less than GTO.
• Their open range is a bit stronger than expected, with hands like Ax, broadways (KQ, QJ), and pairs in particular.

📊 The open sizing is often revealing

• Recreational players vary their sizing between 2x and 4x, but their choice is not random:
  • A 2x sizing is often used with a merged, very wide range, often excluding premium hands.
  • A 3x or larger sizing typically indicates a stronger range, composed of solid Ax hands, suited broadways, TT+.

• The larger the sizing, the more cautious you need to be. Opens of 3x or 4x deserve more respect, and you need to tighten your defense range significantly.

📊 SB calls too much against 3-bets

• Recreational players have difficulty folding after they’ve already invested money in the pot.
• Whether it's a non-all-in 3-bet (NA) or a 3-bet shove, they call way too much.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 SB calls way too much against 3-bets.</span>

How to adapt our strategy?

📌 Avoid 3-bet bluffs

• Bluffing against a recreational player in SB is rarely a good idea. Their tendency to call too often makes bluffs ineffective and unnecessarily increases variance.
• The best thing to do is to eliminate 3-bet bluffs and focus on value 3-bets that will fully exploit their tendency to call with weak hands.‍

📌 Exploit the excess of calls with 3-bet shoves

• Against a player who calls too much, 3-bet shoving becomes the most EV+ move.
• It’s not about shoving way more than GTO to exploit your opponents, the simple act of shoving your best hands increases the EV of every hand because recreational players will call with many dominated hands (A5o, KJo…).
• In comparison, a non-all-in 3-bet is less effective, because they call with the same hands but leave us playing a complicated pot postflop.

📌 Which hands to 3-bet shove?

• Hands that dominate the call ranges of your opponents, like the best Ax and best pocket pairs.
• Even 10bb deep, you need to remain tight, as SB’s open range is typically strong.

📌 Adapting your call range

• The majority of your range will be played by calling since being in position offers a strategic advantage. This allows you to exploit SB, who will often make mistakes out of position, by slightly widening your call range.
• However, it's important to stay selective since SB’s open range is generally solid.
• In the end, your call range remains close to what GTO recommends at 10bb+.

📌 Adapting your range according to open sizing

• Our charts have been calculated against an open sizing of 2.5bb 12bb, and 2bb 12bb-.
• You can adapt your call range depending on SB's sizing as follows:‍
• Against a 2bb 12bb+: you can widen your call range (compared to our tables).‍
• Against a 2.5bb 12bb- or 3x+: tighten your range drastically and only play solid hands to avoid complicated postflop pots.

‍

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Only prioritize 3-bet shoves with your best hands, and adapt your calls based on SB’s open sizing.</span>

Common Preflop Mistakes in BB vs SB Open

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too much against SB’s opens.

• Calling with marginal hands like Q2o or 62o against a standard open increases variance unnecessarily.
  ✅ Solution: Be selective and adjust your call range based on SB's sizing.

🔴 Mistake 2: Including 3-bet bluffs.

• Bluffs are ineffective because recreational players call too frequently against 3-bets.
  ✅ Solution: Remove 3-bet bluffs and focus solely on value 3-bets, which will be far more profitable.

🔴 Mistake 3: Not shoving your best hands.

• Not using the 3-bet shove with your best hands against SB is a significant loss of EV.
  ✅ Solution: Exploit the excess of calls from recreational players by shoving your strong hands to maximize your gains.

Quick Situation Analysis

When the Small Blind (SB) decides to shove directly, their range is generally strong.

This means we need to be cautious and call with an adapted range. Contrary to what GTO might suggest, we will play tighter to maximize our chances of staying in the game.

📊 What’s in the SB range?

• SB rarely shoves against BB in a 3-way, but when they do, their range is often made up of:
  • Pocket pairs (PP) 55+
  • Ax, especially medium and low Aces (A2-A9)
  • Kx and broadways
  • Sometimes a few random hands but this is rare.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 The SB range is tighter than it should be, forcing you to adjust.</span>

Why call tighter than GTO?

📌 Reason 1: SB shoves a stronger range than GTO

• Since SB plays a range that is often solid, borderline calls (like A8o, KQo, KTs, 33 deep) lose their profitability.
• GTO is designed to play against a balanced and wide range, but here, SB is tighter, so we need to tighten up our calls.

📌 Reason 2: Avoid calls with minimal EV

• Even if a hand is slightly profitable (EV+), it doesn’t always justify the risk.
• Each confrontation with a weak hand increases the risk of elimination.
• In Spin, preserving your stack is often more important than taking a marginal EV spot.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 By tightening your call range, you avoid unnecessary risks for marginal gains. This approach allows you to preserve your stack, minimize variance, and wait for better opportunities to exploit your opponents' mistakes.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB Against SB's All-In

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too often with "weak hands"

• Calling with hands like A8o, KJo, or Q9s 25 deep simply because they seem okay.
  ✅ Solution: Tighten your call range and focus on strong hands (which you should know).

🔴 Mistake 2: Not respecting SB's range

• Thinking that SB shoves wide, when their range is often tight in 3-way.
  ✅ Solution: Remember, SB rarely shoves and usually with solid hands.

🔴 Mistake 3: Calling based only on immediate EV

• Ignoring the importance of preserving your stack for future situations.
  ✅ Solution: Avoid marginal EV+ calls that increase variance without real strategic gain.

Quick Situation Analysis

When the Small Blind (SB) decides to shove directly, their range is generally strong.

This means we need to be cautious and call with an adapted range. Contrary to what GTO might suggest, we will play tighter to maximize our chances of staying in the game.

📊 What’s in the SB range?

• SB rarely shoves against BB in a 3-way, but when they do, their range is often made up of:
  • Pocket pairs (PP) 55+
  • Ax, especially medium and low Aces (A2-A9)
  • Kx and broadways
  • Sometimes a few random hands but this is rare.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 The SB range is tighter than it should be, forcing you to adjust.</span>

Why call tighter than GTO?

📌 Reason 1: SB shoves a stronger range than GTO

• Since SB plays a range that is often solid, borderline calls (like A8o, KQo, KTs, 33 deep) lose their profitability.
• GTO is designed to play against a balanced and wide range, but here, SB is tighter, so we need to tighten up our calls.

📌 Reason 2: Avoid calls with minimal EV

• Even if a hand is slightly profitable (EV+), it doesn’t always justify the risk.
• Each confrontation with a weak hand increases the risk of elimination.
• In Spin, preserving your stack is often more important than taking a marginal EV spot.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 By tightening your call range, you avoid unnecessary risks for marginal gains. This approach allows you to preserve your stack, minimize variance, and wait for better opportunities to exploit your opponents' mistakes.</span>

Common Mistakes in BB Against SB's All-In

🔴 Mistake 1: Calling too often with "weak hands"

• Calling with hands like A8o, KJo, or Q9s 25 deep simply because they seem okay.
  ✅ Solution: Tighten your call range and focus on strong hands (which you should know).

🔴 Mistake 2: Not respecting SB's range

• Thinking that SB shoves wide, when their range is often tight in 3-way.
  ✅ Solution: Remember, SB rarely shoves and usually with solid hands.

🔴 Mistake 3: Calling based only on immediate EV

• Ignoring the importance of preserving your stack for future situations.
  ✅ Solution: Avoid marginal EV+ calls that increase variance without real strategic gain.