progressCutoff opening range in tournaments
Two seats from the button, and a range that depends strongly on the stack.
The cutoff acts after five players and has only the button and the blinds behind. These are the shares of hands our solution book opens from the cutoff in an 8-max tournament with ante when everyone folds to it (raise plus all-in), next to the hijack and the button:
| Stack | Hijack | Cutoff | Button | Cutoff all-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 BB | 28% | 33% | 42% | 32% |
| 12 BB | 25% | 32% | 40% | 27% |
| 15 BB | 24% | 30% | 39% | 11% |
| 20 BB | 26% | 31% | 41% | 0% |
| 25 BB | 27% | 34% | 44% | 0% |
| 30 BB | 28% | 34% | 46% | 0% |
| 40 BB | 28% | 35% | 48% | 0% |
| 50 BB | 27% | 35% | 48% | 0% |
| 100 BB | 28% | 35% | 49% | 0% |
What the table shows
- From 20 to 100 BB the cutoff opens between 31% and 35% of hands. At 30 BB it is 34%.
- It sits between its neighbours. At 30 BB the hijack opens 28% and the button 46%.
- Shallow stacks change the picture. At 10 BB the cutoff opens 33% and 32% of all hands go all-in; at 12 BB it is 32%.
The marginal hands
Strong hands open at every stack. The question is the edge. This is how often the book opens some hands that change with the stack:
| Hand | 10 BB | 12 BB | 15 BB | 20 BB | 25 BB | 30 BB | 40 BB | 50 BB | 100 BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K9o | 78% | 2% | 0% | 4% | 30% | 62% | 80% | 64% | 48% |
| J9o | 0% | 10% | 10% | 98% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| T9o | 0% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 64% | 98% | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| 98o | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 28% | 48% | 32% |
| A5o | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 74% | 50% | 48% | 12% | 4% |
| T7s | 78% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 97s | 98% | 100% | 2% | 92% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 86s | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 54% | 98% | 98% | 96% | 90% |
For example J9o opens 10% at 12 BB, 10% at 15 BB and 98% at 20 BB, and A5o opens 98% at 20 BB but 4% at 100 BB.
What to take away
- Learn the cutoff as a range that depends on the stack, not as one fixed list.
- Use the table above to see which edge hands you are guessing on at your usual stack.
- See the full grid in the cutoff chart at 30 BB and compare with the button and UTG guides.
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Related guides
Questions
How many hands should I open from the cutoff in a tournament?
In our book 34% at 30 BB, 31% at 20 BB and 30% at 15 BB (8-max, with ante).
Is the cutoff much wider than the hijack?
At 30 BB the cutoff opens 34% against 28% from the hijack.
Is T9o an open from the cutoff?
It depends on the stack: 0% at 15 BB, 64% at 25 BB and 100% at 40 BB.
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progressGTO guides use our own solution book (v13, 8-max tournaments with ante, chip EV): an approximation of equilibrium with a modelled postflop, not an exact solution. Numbers are computed from the book and from the exact ICM model.
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