progressBB defense vs CO open at 13 BB
8-max MTT · ante 12.5 % · Cutoff opens, small blind folds · chip EV
How the BB defends at 13 BB
Facing a Cutoff open to 2 BB (small blind folds) with 13 big blinds, the big blind folds only 26% of hands, calls 54% and goes all-in with 19%. The big blind already has one blind in the pot and closes the action, so it gets a good price.
Always all-in: AA, AKs, AKo, AQs, AQo, AJs, AJo, ATs, ATo, A9s, A9o, A8s, A8o, A7s, A7o, A6s and 16 more.
Folded: K3o, K2o, Q7o, Q6o, Q5o, Q4o, Q3o, Q2o, J6o, J5o, J4o, J3o and 16 more.
Against other openers at 13 BB the big blind continues with: vs BTN 76%, vs HJ 74%, vs LJ 75%, vs UTG+1 74%, vs UTG 72%. The defence does not simply grow with the position of the opener here; the exact chart for each opener matters.
Closest decisions (the book continues with them only part of the time): 63o 42%, 52o 64%. These are the hands worth drilling, because a small change in the opponents or the stack flips them.
What changes around 13 BB
The book continues with 74% of hands here, 70% at 12 BB and 75% at 14 BB. Compared with 12 BB, these hands come into the range: K4o, Q8o, 74o, 52o. Some hands switch to an all-in: Q9o.
Free 7-day ICM course by e-mail
One short lesson a day, each with a worked example in exact numbers: chips vs. money, the bubble factor, who feels the pressure, payout structures, satellites. No account needed.
Numbers come from the progressGTO solution book (v14, chip EV, 8-max, ante 12.5 %): our own equilibrium computation with a modelled postflop. It is an approximation, not an exact solution, and it keeps improving. Hover or tap a hand to see its exact frequencies.
progressGTOAll rangesGuidesDaily spotICM calculatorOpen the appPrivacyTerms