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.

Difficile de jouer hors de position : il ne faut pas trop call

Lorsque SB MR, nous avons deux options principales : call ou 3-bet shove.

📌 Pourquoi ne pas trop call ?

1️⃣ Nous sommes hors de position

• En callant, nous serons toujours les premiers à parler après le flop.
• Cela donne un désavantage stratégique, car SB pourra plus facilement nous mettre sous pression, même si c'est un joueur récréatif.

2️⃣ La range de SB est plutôt forte

• La plupart des joueurs récréatifs MR avec une range plus forte que la GTO.
• En général, un joueur récréatif va MR ses mains fortes (AJo+, KQo, 88+) et limp ses mains moyennes ou faibles.
• Cela signifie que la range de MR est déjà très filtrée et souvent plus difficile à jouer contre.

📌 Mais il faut tout de même défendre une partie des mains !

• Si nous foldons trop souvent, nous n'allons pas défendre grand chose...
• Nous devons donc call avec certaines mains solides qui se jouent relativement bien, comme les mains suited, et les meilleures mains offsuited.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 L’objectif est de trouver un équilibre : ne pas défendre trop large pour éviter d’être dominé postflop, mais ne pas fold trop souvent pour ne pas être exploitable.</span>

Pourquoi faut-il 3-bet shove ses meilleures mains ?

Une autre façon de répondre au MR de SB est de 3-bet shove, c’est-à-dire envoyer directement tapis.

📌 Pourquoi shove est souvent meilleur qu’un 3-bet classique ?

• Les joueurs récréatifs font de grosses erreurs contre un 3bet shove. Un joueur récréatif va souvent trop call de mauvaises mains.
• Nous maximisons donc l’EV de nos meilleures mains.
• Nous évitons de jouer hors de position. Avec un shove, nous réglons le coup préflop et ne laissons pas l’adversaire nous mettre la pression.

📌 Quelles mains shove en priorité ?

• A8o+, A7s+ → Ax dominent la plupart des calls trop loose de SB.
• KQ → Souvent devant la range qui va call.
• 77+ → Les pocket pairs sont de bonnes mains à shove car elles conservent une bonne équité même lorsqu’elles sont payées.
• Au plus nous sommes short, au plus nous souhaiterons élargir cette range.

📌 Pourquoi éviter les 3-bet non all-in ?

• Jouer un gros pot hors de position est difficile. Le 3-bet NA nous mettra souvent dans une situation inconfortable postflop, d'autant que SB va beaucoup call, ce qui nous empêchera de profiter pleinement de notre fold équité.
• Le 3-bet shove a une EV proche, voire supérieure au 3-bet classique. Pourquoi prendre un risque de faire des erreurs hors de position ?

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Le 3-bet A est souvent (toujours) plus simple et plus rentable qu'un 3-bet NA.</span>

Erreurs courantes préflop en BB vs SB minraise

Beaucoup de joueurs débutants font des erreurs coûteuses dans cette situation. Voici les plus fréquentes et comment les éviter :

🔴 Erreur 1 : Trop call hors de position

• Ne pas comprendre l’impact de la position et défendre des mains trop faibles.
• Se retrouver postflop avec une main difficile à jouer, ce qui entraîne des décisions compliquées et une perte d’EV.

✅ Solution : Réduire sa range de call et privilégier des mains solides (jouables facilement comme les mains suited).

🔴 Erreur 2 : Ne pas assez 3-bet shove

• Certains joueurs ne 3-bet shove pas avec ATo, ou 77, pensant que c’est trop agressif.
• Pourtant, contre un SB qui call trop loose, ces shoves sont très EV+.‍

✅ Solution : Osez shove les bonnes mains pour maximiser son EV et éviter de jouer hors de position.

🔴 Erreur 3 : Trop 3-bet NA

• Penser qu’un 3-bet NA est plus approprié qu’un shove.
• Se retrouver dans un pot trop gros hors de position, où il sera difficile de manoeuvrer.

✅ Solution : Privilégier le 3-bet shove avec vos mains fortes, et le call avec les mains jouables postflop.

Difficile de jouer hors de position : il ne faut pas trop call

Lorsque SB MR, nous avons deux options principales : call ou 3-bet shove.

📌 Pourquoi ne pas trop call ?

1️⃣ Nous sommes hors de position

• En callant, nous serons toujours les premiers à parler après le flop.
• Cela donne un désavantage stratégique, car SB pourra plus facilement nous mettre sous pression, même si c'est un joueur récréatif.

2️⃣ La range de SB est plutôt forte

• La plupart des joueurs récréatifs MR avec une range plus forte que la GTO.
• En général, un joueur récréatif va MR ses mains fortes (AJo+, KQo, 88+) et limp ses mains moyennes ou faibles.
• Cela signifie que la range de MR est déjà très filtrée et souvent plus difficile à jouer contre.

📌 Mais il faut tout de même défendre une partie des mains !

• Si nous foldons trop souvent, nous n'allons pas défendre grand chose...
• Nous devons donc call avec certaines mains solides qui se jouent relativement bien, comme les mains suited, et les meilleures mains offsuited.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 L’objectif est de trouver un équilibre : ne pas défendre trop large pour éviter d’être dominé postflop, mais ne pas fold trop souvent pour ne pas être exploitable.</span>

Pourquoi faut-il 3-bet shove ses meilleures mains ?

Une autre façon de répondre au MR de SB est de 3-bet shove, c’est-à-dire envoyer directement tapis.

📌 Pourquoi shove est souvent meilleur qu’un 3-bet classique ?

• Les joueurs récréatifs font de grosses erreurs contre un 3bet shove. Un joueur récréatif va souvent trop call de mauvaises mains.
• Nous maximisons donc l’EV de nos meilleures mains.
• Nous évitons de jouer hors de position. Avec un shove, nous réglons le coup préflop et ne laissons pas l’adversaire nous mettre la pression.

📌 Quelles mains shove en priorité ?

• A8o+, A7s+ → Ax dominent la plupart des calls trop loose de SB.
• KQ → Souvent devant la range qui va call.
• 77+ → Les pocket pairs sont de bonnes mains à shove car elles conservent une bonne équité même lorsqu’elles sont payées.
• Au plus nous sommes short, au plus nous souhaiterons élargir cette range.

📌 Pourquoi éviter les 3-bet non all-in ?

• Jouer un gros pot hors de position est difficile. Le 3-bet NA nous mettra souvent dans une situation inconfortable postflop, d'autant que SB va beaucoup call, ce qui nous empêchera de profiter pleinement de notre fold équité.
• Le 3-bet shove a une EV proche, voire supérieure au 3-bet classique. Pourquoi prendre un risque de faire des erreurs hors de position ?

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Le 3-bet A est souvent (toujours) plus simple et plus rentable qu'un 3-bet NA.</span>

Erreurs courantes préflop en BB vs SB minraise

Beaucoup de joueurs débutants font des erreurs coûteuses dans cette situation. Voici les plus fréquentes et comment les éviter :

🔴 Erreur 1 : Trop call hors de position

• Ne pas comprendre l’impact de la position et défendre des mains trop faibles.
• Se retrouver postflop avec une main difficile à jouer, ce qui entraîne des décisions compliquées et une perte d’EV.

✅ Solution : Réduire sa range de call et privilégier des mains solides (jouables facilement comme les mains suited).

🔴 Erreur 2 : Ne pas assez 3-bet shove

• Certains joueurs ne 3-bet shove pas avec ATo, ou 77, pensant que c’est trop agressif.
• Pourtant, contre un SB qui call trop loose, ces shoves sont très EV+.‍

✅ Solution : Osez shove les bonnes mains pour maximiser son EV et éviter de jouer hors de position.

🔴 Erreur 3 : Trop 3-bet NA

• Penser qu’un 3-bet NA est plus approprié qu’un shove.
• Se retrouver dans un pot trop gros hors de position, où il sera difficile de manoeuvrer.

✅ Solution : Privilégier le 3-bet shove avec vos mains fortes, et le call avec les mains jouables postflop.

Difficile de jouer hors de position : il ne faut pas trop call

Lorsque SB MR, nous avons deux options principales : call ou 3-bet shove.

📌 Pourquoi ne pas trop call ?

1️⃣ Nous sommes hors de position

• En callant, nous serons toujours les premiers à parler après le flop.
• Cela donne un désavantage stratégique, car SB pourra plus facilement nous mettre sous pression, même si c'est un joueur récréatif.

2️⃣ La range de SB est plutôt forte

• La plupart des joueurs récréatifs MR avec une range plus forte que la GTO.
• En général, un joueur récréatif va MR ses mains fortes (AJo+, KQo, 88+) et limp ses mains moyennes ou faibles.
• Cela signifie que la range de MR est déjà très filtrée et souvent plus difficile à jouer contre.

📌 Mais il faut tout de même défendre une partie des mains !

• Si nous foldons trop souvent, nous n'allons pas défendre grand chose...
• Nous devons donc call avec certaines mains solides qui se jouent relativement bien, comme les mains suited, et les meilleures mains offsuited.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 L’objectif est de trouver un équilibre : ne pas défendre trop large pour éviter d’être dominé postflop, mais ne pas fold trop souvent pour ne pas être exploitable.</span>

Pourquoi faut-il 3-bet shove ses meilleures mains ?

Une autre façon de répondre au MR de SB est de 3-bet shove, c’est-à-dire envoyer directement tapis.

📌 Pourquoi shove est souvent meilleur qu’un 3-bet classique ?

• Les joueurs récréatifs font de grosses erreurs contre un 3bet shove. Un joueur récréatif va souvent trop call de mauvaises mains.
• Nous maximisons donc l’EV de nos meilleures mains.
• Nous évitons de jouer hors de position. Avec un shove, nous réglons le coup préflop et ne laissons pas l’adversaire nous mettre la pression.

📌 Quelles mains shove en priorité ?

• A8o+, A7s+ → Ax dominent la plupart des calls trop loose de SB.
• KQ → Souvent devant la range qui va call.
• 77+ → Les pocket pairs sont de bonnes mains à shove car elles conservent une bonne équité même lorsqu’elles sont payées.
• Au plus nous sommes short, au plus nous souhaiterons élargir cette range.

📌 Pourquoi éviter les 3-bet non all-in ?

• Jouer un gros pot hors de position est difficile. Le 3-bet NA nous mettra souvent dans une situation inconfortable postflop, d'autant que SB va beaucoup call, ce qui nous empêchera de profiter pleinement de notre fold équité.
• Le 3-bet shove a une EV proche, voire supérieure au 3-bet classique. Pourquoi prendre un risque de faire des erreurs hors de position ?

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Le 3-bet A est souvent (toujours) plus simple et plus rentable qu'un 3-bet NA.</span>

Erreurs courantes préflop en BB vs SB minraise

Beaucoup de joueurs débutants font des erreurs coûteuses dans cette situation. Voici les plus fréquentes et comment les éviter :

🔴 Erreur 1 : Trop call hors de position

• Ne pas comprendre l’impact de la position et défendre des mains trop faibles.
• Se retrouver postflop avec une main difficile à jouer, ce qui entraîne des décisions compliquées et une perte d’EV.

✅ Solution : Réduire sa range de call et privilégier des mains solides (jouables facilement comme les mains suited).

🔴 Erreur 2 : Ne pas assez 3-bet shove

• Certains joueurs ne 3-bet shove pas avec ATo, ou 77, pensant que c’est trop agressif.
• Pourtant, contre un SB qui call trop loose, ces shoves sont très EV+.‍

✅ Solution : Osez shove les bonnes mains pour maximiser son EV et éviter de jouer hors de position.

🔴 Erreur 3 : Trop 3-bet NA

• Penser qu’un 3-bet NA est plus approprié qu’un shove.
• Se retrouver dans un pot trop gros hors de position, où il sera difficile de manoeuvrer.

✅ Solution : Privilégier le 3-bet shove avec vos mains fortes, et le call avec les mains jouables postflop.

The most profitable position in Spin (after the BTN)

📌 Why is it so important?

• The SB HU is the second most profitable position in Spin & Go (~20/30 chips EV/game).
• You always act last post-flop.
• Working on your SB HU game is highly profitable and crucial for progress. It's one of the positions, along with BTN in 3Way, where you'll get the most return on your investment in terms of effort.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Like the Button in 3-Way, make SB HU a priority in your learning.</span>

The main mistake not to make: don't fold too often

📌 Why avoid folding?

• A common mistake for beginner players is folding too many hands in the SB. Against a single opponent, with the advantage of position, folding should be exceptional.
• Acting last post-flop allows you to exploit passive tendencies in your opponents. A simple limp followed by a c-bet is often enough to take the pot. Hence the importance of playing many hands from this position.

📊 Statistical data:

• 14-25bb deep, an average recreational player in the SB folds between 12 and 20% of the time, compared to the recommended 0-6%. This mistake leads to a significant loss of EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In SB HU, you can profitably play almost 100% of your hands.</span>

Choosing between limp and minraise (MR)

📊 In theory:

• In theory, against recreational players, MR is almost always more profitable (with your entire range).
• This is due to the excessive folding from recreational players against an MR, and the few 3-bets (both all-in and non-all-in).

📊 In practice:

• However, in practice, if you abuse MR, even a recreational player might adapt quickly.
• They will naturally defend much wider, and increase their 3-bet shove frequency.

📌 The best strategy?

• Adopt a balanced approach by mixing limp and MR.
• Against a competent player, it may be necessary to limp some strong hands to avoid being "face-up" (i.e., your opponent easily guessing the strength of your hand based on your actions).
• But against recreational players who are generally not attentive to this, you can simplify your strategy: raise all your strong hands and limp the rest. Remember, the stronger your hand, the more you want to build the pot to maximize your profit.

📌 Interpreting our charts

• ‍There are no specific hands to limp or MR. You can deviate from our charts by slightly increasing (or decreasing) your MR range, depending on your judgment.This MR configuration of K8+, Q8+, J8+, T8+, 89 is just a helpful way to memorize the general idea: MR your best hands. But you can very well MR A7s, K7s, 87o without any issue.

📌 What sizing to use?

• ‍BB doesn't adjust to sizings, which allows us to adjust our raise depending on the strength of our hand.
• You can raise between 2bb and 3bb depending on the effective stack size and the strength of your hand.

📌 Why stop MR under 10-11bb?

• The pot reaches 4bb, making the hand difficult to control post-flop, as it represents almost half of your stack.
• Limp or shove is more optimal: Limp or shove is more optimal: by limping, you keep the pot manageable, reducing variance and allowing your skill to shine. You will still have the chance to de-stack your opponent with your strong hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 12bb+ prioritize open raising with all your best hands</span>

Why Open-Shove (OS) certain hands?

There are two main reasons for making a direct OS:

📌 Exploit bad calls from BB

• Between 14bb-25bb, recreational players in the BB will often call an all-in with dominated hands.
• For example, they might call 25bb with A5o, even though they shouldn't. In this case, OS with a hand like AJo is more profitable than a simple MR because you're fully exploiting these wide calls.
• This is why our ranges recommend OS with A9o+ starting at 25bb.

📌 Avoid complicated post-flop decisions with hands that dominate the opponent's range

• Certain hands, like small pairs or small Ax hands, are difficult to play post-flop (unless you hit a set or an Ace). Yet, they still hold decent equity against the opponent’s range. (With A3 or 55 on a K82 flop, you often still have the best hand.)
• By shoving pre-flop, you gain fold equity (your opponent can fold), and even if they call, you generally have between 40% and 70% chance of winning, which results in more money in the long run. The smaller your stack gets, the more profitable it becomes to widen your OS range.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In HU SB, it is important to have an OS range to maximize EV and exploit BB’s bad calls.</span>

Why not abuse shoving under 12bb?

Recreational players don’t call shoves enough when the stack is under 12bb (unlike 14bb+, where they called too much).

📌 Consequences in theory

• Widening your shove range becomes EV+ because your opponent folds too often.

📌 Consequences in practice

• Although these shoves are profitable, they increase variance and risk premature elimination for a marginal gain in EV. Against weaker players, it’s better to wait for less risky situations to accumulate chips.
• That’s why our charts recommend fewer OS shoves than GTO below 12bb: although profitable, the real gain is low compared to the risk of elimination and missing out on your edge in future hands.

📌 Attention...

• This only applies to hands where the EV of OS and limp is similar. For hands we recommend to OS, they still hold very positive EV when shoved and should always be OS’d (e.g., 22-55, Ax, etc.).

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 12bb-, it's better to play most of your range as a limp to reduce variance. However, some hands are still much more profitable when OSed directly.</span>

With less than 6bb, limp no longer works

When your stack drops below 6bb, it’s no longer possible to exploit your edge. The best way to exploit your opponent is to adopt a simple "push or fold" strategy.

• It simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of costly mistakes.
• BB will tend to not call enough, which increases your EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 6bb-, adopt a push or fold strategy. Knowing the correct OS ranges becomes crucial.</span>

The most profitable position in Spin (after the BTN)

📌 Why is it so important?

• The SB HU is the second most profitable position in Spin & Go (~20/30 chips EV/game).
• You always act last post-flop.
• Working on your SB HU game is highly profitable and crucial for progress. It's one of the positions, along with BTN in 3Way, where you'll get the most return on your investment in terms of effort.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Like the Button in 3-Way, make SB HU a priority in your learning.</span>

The main mistake not to make: don't fold too often

📌 Why avoid folding?

• A common mistake for beginner players is folding too many hands in the SB. Against a single opponent, with the advantage of position, folding should be exceptional.
• Acting last post-flop allows you to exploit passive tendencies in your opponents. A simple limp followed by a c-bet is often enough to take the pot. Hence the importance of playing many hands from this position.

📊 Statistical data:

• 14-25bb deep, an average recreational player in the SB folds between 12 and 20% of the time, compared to the recommended 0-6%. This mistake leads to a significant loss of EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In SB HU, you can profitably play almost 100% of your hands.</span>

Choosing between limp and minraise (MR)

📊 In theory:

• In theory, against recreational players, MR is almost always more profitable (with your entire range).
• This is due to the excessive folding from recreational players against an MR, and the few 3-bets (both all-in and non-all-in).

📊 In practice:

• However, in practice, if you abuse MR, even a recreational player might adapt quickly.
• They will naturally defend much wider, and increase their 3-bet shove frequency.

📌 The best strategy?

• Adopt a balanced approach by mixing limp and MR.
• Against a competent player, it may be necessary to limp some strong hands to avoid being "face-up" (i.e., your opponent easily guessing the strength of your hand based on your actions).
• But against recreational players who are generally not attentive to this, you can simplify your strategy: raise all your strong hands and limp the rest. Remember, the stronger your hand, the more you want to build the pot to maximize your profit.

📌 Interpreting our charts

• ‍There are no specific hands to limp or MR. You can deviate from our charts by slightly increasing (or decreasing) your MR range, depending on your judgment.This MR configuration of K8+, Q8+, J8+, T8+, 89 is just a helpful way to memorize the general idea: MR your best hands. But you can very well MR A7s, K7s, 87o without any issue.

📌 What sizing to use?

• ‍BB doesn't adjust to sizings, which allows us to adjust our raise depending on the strength of our hand.
• You can raise between 2bb and 3bb depending on the effective stack size and the strength of your hand.

📌 Why stop MR under 10-11bb?

• The pot reaches 4bb, making the hand difficult to control post-flop, as it represents almost half of your stack.
• Limp or shove is more optimal: Limp or shove is more optimal: by limping, you keep the pot manageable, reducing variance and allowing your skill to shine. You will still have the chance to de-stack your opponent with your strong hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 12bb+ prioritize open raising with all your best hands</span>

Why Open-Shove (OS) certain hands?

There are two main reasons for making a direct OS:

📌 Exploit bad calls from BB

• Between 14bb-25bb, recreational players in the BB will often call an all-in with dominated hands.
• For example, they might call 25bb with A5o, even though they shouldn't. In this case, OS with a hand like AJo is more profitable than a simple MR because you're fully exploiting these wide calls.
• This is why our ranges recommend OS with A9o+ starting at 25bb.

📌 Avoid complicated post-flop decisions with hands that dominate the opponent's range

• Certain hands, like small pairs or small Ax hands, are difficult to play post-flop (unless you hit a set or an Ace). Yet, they still hold decent equity against the opponent’s range. (With A3 or 55 on a K82 flop, you often still have the best hand.)
• By shoving pre-flop, you gain fold equity (your opponent can fold), and even if they call, you generally have between 40% and 70% chance of winning, which results in more money in the long run. The smaller your stack gets, the more profitable it becomes to widen your OS range.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In HU SB, it is important to have an OS range to maximize EV and exploit BB’s bad calls.</span>

Why not abuse shoving under 12bb?

Recreational players don’t call shoves enough when the stack is under 12bb (unlike 14bb+, where they called too much).

📌 Consequences in theory

• Widening your shove range becomes EV+ because your opponent folds too often.

📌 Consequences in practice

• Although these shoves are profitable, they increase variance and risk premature elimination for a marginal gain in EV. Against weaker players, it’s better to wait for less risky situations to accumulate chips.
• That’s why our charts recommend fewer OS shoves than GTO below 12bb: although profitable, the real gain is low compared to the risk of elimination and missing out on your edge in future hands.

📌 Attention...

• This only applies to hands where the EV of OS and limp is similar. For hands we recommend to OS, they still hold very positive EV when shoved and should always be OS’d (e.g., 22-55, Ax, etc.).

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 12bb-, it's better to play most of your range as a limp to reduce variance. However, some hands are still much more profitable when OSed directly.</span>

With less than 6bb, limp no longer works

When your stack drops below 6bb, it’s no longer possible to exploit your edge. The best way to exploit your opponent is to adopt a simple "push or fold" strategy.

• It simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of costly mistakes.
• BB will tend to not call enough, which increases your EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 6bb-, adopt a push or fold strategy. Knowing the correct OS ranges becomes crucial.</span>

The most profitable position in Spin (after the BTN)

📌 Why is it so important?

• The SB HU is the second most profitable position in Spin & Go (~20/30 chips EV/game).
• You always act last post-flop.
• Working on your SB HU game is highly profitable and crucial for progress. It's one of the positions, along with BTN in 3Way, where you'll get the most return on your investment in terms of effort.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 Like the Button in 3-Way, make SB HU a priority in your learning.</span>

The main mistake not to make: don't fold too often

📌 Why avoid folding?

• A common mistake for beginner players is folding too many hands in the SB. Against a single opponent, with the advantage of position, folding should be exceptional.
• Acting last post-flop allows you to exploit passive tendencies in your opponents. A simple limp followed by a c-bet is often enough to take the pot. Hence the importance of playing many hands from this position.

📊 Statistical data:

• 14-25bb deep, an average recreational player in the SB folds between 12 and 20% of the time, compared to the recommended 0-6%. This mistake leads to a significant loss of EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In SB HU, you can profitably play almost 100% of your hands.</span>

Choosing between limp and minraise (MR)

📊 In theory:

• In theory, against recreational players, MR is almost always more profitable (with your entire range).
• This is due to the excessive folding from recreational players against an MR, and the few 3-bets (both all-in and non-all-in).

📊 In practice:

• However, in practice, if you abuse MR, even a recreational player might adapt quickly.
• They will naturally defend much wider, and increase their 3-bet shove frequency.

📌 The best strategy?

• Adopt a balanced approach by mixing limp and MR.
• Against a competent player, it may be necessary to limp some strong hands to avoid being "face-up" (i.e., your opponent easily guessing the strength of your hand based on your actions).
• But against recreational players who are generally not attentive to this, you can simplify your strategy: raise all your strong hands and limp the rest. Remember, the stronger your hand, the more you want to build the pot to maximize your profit.

📌 Interpreting our charts

• ‍There are no specific hands to limp or MR. You can deviate from our charts by slightly increasing (or decreasing) your MR range, depending on your judgment.This MR configuration of K8+, Q8+, J8+, T8+, 89 is just a helpful way to memorize the general idea: MR your best hands. But you can very well MR A7s, K7s, 87o without any issue.

📌 What sizing to use?

• ‍BB doesn't adjust to sizings, which allows us to adjust our raise depending on the strength of our hand.
• You can raise between 2bb and 3bb depending on the effective stack size and the strength of your hand.

📌 Why stop MR under 10-11bb?

• The pot reaches 4bb, making the hand difficult to control post-flop, as it represents almost half of your stack.
• Limp or shove is more optimal: Limp or shove is more optimal: by limping, you keep the pot manageable, reducing variance and allowing your skill to shine. You will still have the chance to de-stack your opponent with your strong hands.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 12bb+ prioritize open raising with all your best hands</span>

Why Open-Shove (OS) certain hands?

There are two main reasons for making a direct OS:

📌 Exploit bad calls from BB

• Between 14bb-25bb, recreational players in the BB will often call an all-in with dominated hands.
• For example, they might call 25bb with A5o, even though they shouldn't. In this case, OS with a hand like AJo is more profitable than a simple MR because you're fully exploiting these wide calls.
• This is why our ranges recommend OS with A9o+ starting at 25bb.

📌 Avoid complicated post-flop decisions with hands that dominate the opponent's range

• Certain hands, like small pairs or small Ax hands, are difficult to play post-flop (unless you hit a set or an Ace). Yet, they still hold decent equity against the opponent’s range. (With A3 or 55 on a K82 flop, you often still have the best hand.)
• By shoving pre-flop, you gain fold equity (your opponent can fold), and even if they call, you generally have between 40% and 70% chance of winning, which results in more money in the long run. The smaller your stack gets, the more profitable it becomes to widen your OS range.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 In HU SB, it is important to have an OS range to maximize EV and exploit BB’s bad calls.</span>

Why not abuse shoving under 12bb?

Recreational players don’t call shoves enough when the stack is under 12bb (unlike 14bb+, where they called too much).

📌 Consequences in theory

• Widening your shove range becomes EV+ because your opponent folds too often.

📌 Consequences in practice

• Although these shoves are profitable, they increase variance and risk premature elimination for a marginal gain in EV. Against weaker players, it’s better to wait for less risky situations to accumulate chips.
• That’s why our charts recommend fewer OS shoves than GTO below 12bb: although profitable, the real gain is low compared to the risk of elimination and missing out on your edge in future hands.

📌 Attention...

• This only applies to hands where the EV of OS and limp is similar. For hands we recommend to OS, they still hold very positive EV when shoved and should always be OS’d (e.g., 22-55, Ax, etc.).

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 12bb-, it's better to play most of your range as a limp to reduce variance. However, some hands are still much more profitable when OSed directly.</span>

With less than 6bb, limp no longer works

When your stack drops below 6bb, it’s no longer possible to exploit your edge. The best way to exploit your opponent is to adopt a simple "push or fold" strategy.

• It simplifies your decisions and reduces the risk of costly mistakes.
• BB will tend to not call enough, which increases your EV.

<span class="explanation_section">📕 For 6bb-, adopt a push or fold strategy. Knowing the correct OS ranges becomes crucial.</span>