progressUTG opening range in tournaments
The tightest seat at the table, and how much it really changes with the stack.
Under the gun acts first with seven players behind, so it is the tightest seat. How tight depends on the stack. These are the shares of hands our solution book opens from UTG in an 8-max tournament with ante (raise plus all-in):
| Stack | Opens | of which all-in | Folds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 BB | 16% | 12% | 84% |
| 12 BB | 16% | 3% | 84% |
| 15 BB | 16% | 0% | 84% |
| 20 BB | 17% | 0% | 83% |
| 25 BB | 18% | 0% | 82% |
| 30 BB | 18% | 0% | 82% |
| 40 BB | 17% | 0% | 83% |
| 50 BB | 17% | 0% | 83% |
| 100 BB | 16% | 0% | 84% |
What the table shows
- The range is narrow at every depth. From 15 to 50 BB UTG opens between 16% and 18% of hands.
- Shallow, the opening range is mostly all-in. At 10 BB the all-in share is 12% of hands and the raise 5%.
- Compare it with the button. At 30 BB UTG opens 18% and the button 46%, about 2.6 times as many hands.
The hands on the edge
Most hands are a clear open or a clear fold. A few are mixed, which means the book opens them some of the time. At 30 BB 38 of the 169 hand types are a clear open, and the hands that sit on the edge are A2s, KTo, K8s. At 20 BB the edge hands are A2s, QJo.
What to take away
- Do not widen the UTG range because the stack is deep or the table is passive. The share barely changes between 20 and 50 BB.
- Under 12 BB treat the open as a shove first, a raise second.
- See the exact hands in the UTG chart at 30 BB and compare with the other seats.
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Questions
How many hands should I open from UTG in a tournament?
In our book about 18% at 30 BB, 17% at 20 BB and 16% at 15 BB (8-max, with ante).
Is UTG wider or tighter at 100 BB?
About the same: 16% at 100 BB and 17% at 50 BB.
What changes at 10 BB?
UTG opens 16% of hands and 12% of all hands go all-in.
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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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