progressPlaying 20 big blinds
The awkward stack where raise, shove and call all appear.
Twenty big blinds is where the game changes shape. It is deep enough for a small raise and a call, shallow enough that many 3-bets become shoves. Here is the whole preflop picture at exactly 20 BB in our solution book (8-max, ante, chip EV).
Opening, folded to you
| Seat | Raise | All-in | Opens in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTG | 17% | 0% | 17% |
| UTG+1 | 19% | 0% | 19% |
| LJ | 23% | 0% | 23% |
| HJ | 26% | 0% | 26% |
| CO | 31% | 0% | 31% |
| BTN | 32% | 9% | 41% |
Only the button shoves a meaningful share (9%); every other seat opens with a small raise. The button opens 41% of hands, UTG 17%.
The small blind
Folded to, it raises 12%, shoves 20% and limps 54%. Against a button open it folds 71%, calls 6% and shoves 23%. See the small blind guide.
The big blind against an open
| Opener | Fold | Call | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTG | 27% | 65% | 8% |
| CO | 16% | 67% | 17% |
| BTN | 15% | 62% | 21% |
Against the button the big blind folds only 15%. The all-in is a real part of the defence at this depth: 21% against the button.
How to use it
- Know your open range by seat first: it decides most of your pots at 20 BB.
- Do not defend the big blind with only calls: the book shoves a fifth of hands against late-position opens.
- When the stack drops under about 15 BB, move to push/fold.
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Related guides
Questions
What percentage should the button open at 20 BB?
About 41% in our book, mostly small raises with some all-ins.
Does the big blind shove at 20 BB?
Yes. Against a button open it goes all-in with about 21% of hands.
Is 20 BB push/fold?
Not in our book. Most seats raise small and only the button and the small blind use meaningful shoves.
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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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