progressHijack opening range in tournaments
Four players behind you, and a range that is steadier than the seats around it.
The hijack is the fourth seat of an 8-max table and has the cutoff, the button and both blinds behind. These are the shares of hands our solution book opens when everyone folds to the seat (raise plus all-in, with ante), next to the lojack and the cutoff:
| Stack | Lojack | Hijack | Cutoff | Hijack all-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 BB | 22% | 28% | 33% | 27% |
| 12 BB | 22% | 25% | 31% | 9% |
| 15 BB | 22% | 25% | 30% | 1% |
| 20 BB | 22% | 27% | 32% | 0% |
| 25 BB | 24% | 28% | 34% | 0% |
| 30 BB | 24% | 29% | 35% | 0% |
| 40 BB | 24% | 29% | 36% | 0% |
| 50 BB | 24% | 28% | 35% | 0% |
| 100 BB | 23% | 28% | 35% | 0% |
What the table shows
- From 20 to 100 BB the hijack opens between 27% and 29% of hands. At 30 BB it is 29%.
- It sits between its neighbours. At 30 BB the lojack opens 24% and the cutoff 35%.
- Shallow, part of the range is a shove. At 10 BB the hijack opens 28% and 27% of all hands go all-in; at 12 BB the all-in share is 9% and at 15 BB 1%.
The marginal hands
Strong hands open at every stack. These hands sit near the edge, with the share of the time the book opens them from the hijack:
| Hand | 10 BB | 12 BB | 15 BB | 20 BB | 25 BB | 30 BB | 40 BB | 50 BB | 100 BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A8o | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 52% |
| A7o | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 92% | 96% | 94% | 64% | 36% |
| QTo | 100% | 98% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| K5s | 0% | 0% | 18% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| Q8s | 0% | 24% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| J8s | 100% | 0% | 32% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| T7s | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 92% | 58% | 62% |
| T9o | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 2% | 18% |
For example A7o opens 98% at 20 BB, 94% at 40 BB and 36% at 100 BB, while K5s opens 18% at 15 BB but 100% at 20 BB. T9o opens 0% at 30 BB and 18% at 100 BB.
What to take away
- Learn the hijack as a range that stays between 27% and 29% of hands from 20 BB up, and check the edge hands in the table at your usual stack.
- Do not copy the range from one stack to another: the suited hands near the edge and the weak aces move the most.
- See the full grid in the hijack chart at 30 BB and compare with the cutoff and UTG guides.
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Related guides
Questions
How many hands should I open from the hijack in a tournament?
In our book 29% at 30 BB, 27% at 20 BB and 25% at 15 BB (8-max, with ante).
Is the hijack much wider than the lojack?
At 30 BB the hijack opens 29% against 24% from the lojack.
Is A7o an open from the hijack?
It depends on the stack: 100% at 15 BB, 94% at 40 BB and 36% at 100 BB.
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progressGTO guides use our own solution book (v17d, 8-max tournaments with a 12.5% ante from each player, 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.