progressBB defense vs UTG+1 open at 23 BB
8-max MTT · ante 12.5 % · UTG+1 opens, small blind folds · chip EV
How the BB defends at 23 BB
Facing a UTG+1 open to 2 BB (small blind folds) with 23 big blinds, the big blind folds only 26% of hands, calls 66%, 3-bets to 6.5 BB with 1.1% and goes all-in with 7.1%. The big blind already has one blind in the pot and closes the action, so it gets a good price.
Always 3-bet: AQs.
Always all-in: AKs, AKo, AQo, KK, JJ, TT, 99, 88.
Folded: K5o, K4o, K3o, K2o, Q7o, Q6o, Q5o, Q4o, Q3o, Q2o, J6o, J5o and 16 more.
Against other openers at 23 BB the big blind continues with: vs BTN 88%, vs CO 84%, vs HJ 79%, vs LJ 77%, vs UTG 73%. The later the opener, the wider its range, and the more the big blind defends.
Closest decisions (the book continues with them only part of the time): 95o 56%. These are the hands worth drilling, because a small change in the opponents or the stack flips them.
What changes around 23 BB
The book continues with 74% of hands here, 75% at 22 BB and 74% at 24 BB. Going from 22 BB to 23 BB, no hand crosses the 50% line; only the frequencies shift. With the extra chips some former all-ins become small raises: AA.
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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.
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