MTT Preflop Strategy: Ranges for Every Stack Depth
In cash games, you always have 100 big blinds. In tournaments, your effective stack changes every orbit — and so does your entire preflop strategy. Here’s how to adjust your ranges, sizing, and decision-making from 100BB deep all the way down to push/fold territory.
Why MTT preflop is different from cash games
The biggest mistake tournament players make is treating every hand the same way regardless of stack depth. A cash game player opens the button at 100BB and barely thinks about it. A tournament player opening the button at 18BB is making a completely different decision — one that determines whether they’re going to the final table or the rail.
Three things separate MTT preflop from cash game preflop:
Stack depth constantly changes
Blinds go up every 20–60 minutes. Your 100BB starting stack becomes 40BB by level 5 and 15BB by level 8. Your preflop strategy has to change with it.
Antes shift the pot odds
Most modern tournaments run antes from level 2 or 3 onward. Antes add dead money before anyone acts, which means calling and stealing are both more profitable. GTO ranges widen significantly when antes are in play.
ICM creates real consequences
Near the money bubble or a pay jump, busting costs you more EV than winning the pot gives you. This creates spots where you fold hands you'd snap-call in a cash game.
The most important number: your stack in big blinds
Stop thinking about chip counts. Start thinking in big blinds (BB). A 50,000 chip stack means nothing on its own — at 500/1,000 blinds it’s 50BB, at 2,500/5,000 it’s 10BB. Those are completely different strategic situations.
Here’s how most professionals categorize MTT stack depths:
| Stack Depth | Phase | Primary Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 80–100BB+ | Deep Stack | Wide ranges, implied odds matter |
| 40–70BB | Mid Stack | Raise/fold tightens, 3-bets for value |
| 20–35BB | Short Stack | Open-shove becomes correct from LP |
| Under 20BB | Push/Fold | Almost pure push-or-fold preflop |
| Under 10BB | Desperation | Any two playable cards, shove first |
Train MTT ranges on your phone. Preflop Wizard drills you on tournament-specific scenarios at every stack depth.
Deep stacks (80–100BB): play your position
At 100 big blinds, MTT preflop play resembles cash game ranges most closely. The primary driver of your opening range is position. The deeper your stack, the more hands can realize their equity postflop — which means small pairs and suited connectors have implied odds.
Opening ranges at 100BB with antes (approximate):
UTG
~13%
TT+, AJs+, AQo+, KQs
HJ
~17%
99+, ATs+, AQo+, KQs, KJs
CO
~24%
77+, ATs+, A5s-A2s, KQo, QJs
BTN
~42%
22+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, all broadways
SB
~35%
Raise or fold — wider steal range
BB
Defend
Use pot odds vs. all opens
Key difference from no-ante play: antes roughly cut the effective cost of each hand by 10–15%, which pushes every position toward wider opens. If you’re still using tight no-ante ranges in ante-level tournaments, you’re leaving chips on the table.
Mid stacks (40–60BB): sharper decisions, fewer speculative hands
At 40–60 big blinds, the SPR (stack-to-pot ratio) after a preflop raise drops dramatically. You can no longer profitably set-mine with 22 from UTG hoping to stack someone — there’s not enough money behind. Implied odds dry up.
At 40BB, the adjustments are:
Drop the weakest suited connectors from early position
54s, 65s, 75s lose value when you can't realize equity over multiple streets. Cut them from UTG and HJ at 40BB.
Small pairs need to play tighter or shove
22–55 from early/middle position at 40BB is often a fold-or-shove situation. Opening small and folding to a 3-bet is burning chips.
3-bets become mostly value
At 40BB, a 3-bet commits 20–25% of your stack. You need stronger hands to go for it. Bluff 3-bets are almost exclusively suited Aces (A2s-A5s) that block the nuts and have equity.
BTN steals remain extremely profitable
The button is your most powerful seat at any stack depth. At 40BB, stealing from BTN vs. two tight blind defenders is basically printing money. Don't tighten up the BTN.
At 50BB, you’re in a sweet spot where 4-bets from late position can still fold out hands — but don’t get caught 4-bet bluffing against players who’re committed. At 40BB, 4-betting is almost always for value or a shove.
Short stacks (20–35BB): raise/fold strategy kicks in
At 20–35 big blinds, you enter the zone where open-shoving from late position becomes correct with a wide range of hands. This is the most misplayed spot in amateur tournament poker. Players min-open and then fold to a 3-bet, which bleeds chips over time.
At 25BB, the math changes like this: if you open to 2.5BB and fold to a shove, you’re investing 2.5BB to potentially win 3.5BB (antes + blinds) — but your equity when called is already committed. You’re better off either:
Option A: Open-shove
Jam all-in first to act. Denies opponents implied odds and forces a difficult decision. Works best from CO, BTN, SB with wide ranges.
Option B: Min-open and call off
Open small and commit to calling a 3-bet shove. Only do this with hands that are happy to call — TT+, AQ+. Everything else should either shove outright or fold.
Approximate shoving ranges from BTN at 25BB (simplified Nash):
BTN (~55% range)
Any pair, any Ace, K2s+, K8o+, Q8s+, Q9o+, J8s+, T8s+, 98s
SB (~40% range)
22+, A2s+, A7o+, K5s+, KTo+, Q8s+, QTo+, J9s+
CO (~25% range)
44+, A2s+, A9o+, KJs+, KQo, QJs
At 20BB, UTG shove range expands to roughly 20–22% of hands. At 15BB, you’re shoving almost any two reasonable cards from CO/BTN/SB.
Drill these ranges until they’re automatic
Preflop Wizard trains you on GTO ranges for every stack depth and position — including tournament-specific scenarios. Practice on your phone between sessions.
Position still wins tournaments
No matter your stack depth, position is the most consistent edge in tournament poker. The button is the most profitable seat. Early position is a minefield. Here’s the rough positional multiplier on opening ranges — the percentage you should open from each seat relative to UTG:
UTG
1x (base)
HJ
~1.3x
CO
~1.8x
BTN
~3x
SB
~2.5x
BB
Defend
A practical example: if you open 12% of hands from UTG at 40BB, you should open about 36–40% from BTN. Players who play UTG ranges from the button are leaving massive value on the table.
The steal from the button is your biggest tournament leak opportunity. Most amateur players at live tournaments fold to button steals at roughly 60–70% frequency — far higher than they should. When players are not defending correctly, you can steal profitably with nearly any two cards from BTN.
ICM: when to tighten up preflop
ICM (Independent Chip Model) is the framework for valuing tournament chips relative to actual prize money. As you approach pay jumps, the equity cost of busting increases sharply — which tightens your preflop ranges.
Near the money bubble
The short stacks will bust without you. Fold medium-strength hands (JJ, AQo) if there’s any heat. Play hands that dominate or are flips, not coin flips where you might bust.
Large pay jump (e.g., top 9 pay, you’re 10-handed)
Ladder considerations apply. Avoid big confrontations with hands that have close to 50/50 equity — a coin flip for your stack has negative ICM value here.
Short stack at the table
Loosen up when a very short stack is at risk. Other players will tighten to let them bust, giving you profitable steal opportunities.
Big stack vs. medium stacks
Use your stack as a weapon. Cover players can call ICM pressure on medium stacks. Open wide and apply pressure — they’re more worried about busting than you are.
5 MTT preflop mistakes that bust most players
Mistake: Open/folding at 20–25BB
Fix: At 20–25BB, if a hand is strong enough to open, it’s usually strong enough to shove. Stop opening and folding to 3-bets — you’re bleeding antes and chips.
Mistake: Not adjusting for antes
Fix: The pot is 30–40% bigger when antes are in play. If you’re still using tight, no-ante ranges, you’re folding profitable steals. Widen your BTN and SB opens.
Mistake: 3-betting light at short stacks
Fix: A 3-bet at 30BB is essentially committing your stack. Only 3-bet hands you’re happy to get it in with. Bluff 3-bets should have strong equity (suited Aces, blockers to strong hands).
Mistake: Limping from early position
Fix: In most tournaments with antes, limping from early position is dominated by raising or folding. It builds a pot you’ll play out of position with no initiative. Raise or fold.
Mistake: Ignoring the effective stack
Fix: If you have 60BB but your opponent has 25BB, the effective stack is 25BB — that’s the amount at risk. Adjust your range to the effective depth, not your chip count.
Stop memorizing charts. Preflop Wizard trains your tournament ranges with AI coaching that tells you why — not just what to do.
How to practice MTT preflop ranges
Reading about ranges and actually executing them at the table are two completely different skills. The gap between knowing that you should shove K9o from the button at 22BB and actually doing it under pressure — when someone at the table has been catching cards all day — is huge.
The most effective way to close that gap is repetition-based training: drilling ranges away from the table until the decisions become automatic. That’s exactly what Preflop Wizard is built for. Instead of static charts you forget between sessions, Preflop Wizard quizzes you on real scenarios — position, stack depth, opponent action — and gives immediate feedback on every decision.
Most players who use it daily for two weeks report noticing a clear improvement in their preflop confidence. The decisions that used to take 30 seconds of mental math start to feel obvious. And obvious preflop decisions are the foundation of every winning tournament run.
For more foundational strategy, see our guides on opening ranges by position, preflop raise sizing, and 3-bet strategy.
Frequently asked questions
How should I adjust my preflop ranges in an MTT?
The main adjustment is stack depth. At 100BB, play similar to cash game ranges. At 40–60BB, cut speculative hands (small pairs, weak suited connectors) from early position. At 20–30BB, shift to open-shove or fold from late position rather than open/folding.
When should I start shoving preflop in a tournament?
Open-shoving becomes correct once you reach 15–25BB from late position, and as low as 10–12BB from any position. At 20BB with antes, the pot is large enough that a BTN shove with 40–55% of hands is profitable in many lineups.
Do antes change my preflop strategy in tournaments?
Yes, significantly. Antes increase the dead money in the pot by 10–40% depending on the structure. This makes stealing more profitable and defending more justified. Always widen your late-position opens once antes kick in.
Should I play tighter near the money bubble?
In general, yes — especially with a medium stack. Folding marginal spots and letting short stacks bust is usually the highest EV play near the bubble. Big stacks should actually loosen up and attack the medium stacks who are tightening to reach the money.
What preflop hands are most profitable in MTTs?
Hands with high card equity and strong blockers — AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK — are most profitable at all stack depths. At 100BB deep, suited connectors and small pairs add significant implied-odds value. At 20BB, raw equity matters most, which means high-card hands and any pair outperform speculative hands.
How do I know what hands to open from each position at different stack depths?
The most effective approach is training with solver-backed ranges on an app like Preflop Wizard, which shows you GTO opening decisions for every position and stack depth scenario. Static charts help, but drilling with real feedback is what actually locks these ranges into memory.
Train your MTT preflop game for free
Download Preflop Wizard and start drilling tournament ranges at every stack depth. Available on iOS and Android.