MTT opening sizes in 2023..

[Joe]

Hello fellow MTT enthusiasts!

For a long time I've had a very fixed system for my preflop opening sizes, quite simply as follows:

UTG:- 2bb
UTG+1 through to CO:- 2.5bb
Button:- 3bb
SB:- 3 or 4bb

These are the open sizes regardless of hole card strength.

This has worked well for me and continues to work reasonably well, however recently I have been thinking that I might want to increase these sizings slightly, perhaps by 0.5bb or 1bb from all positions.

My rationale for this is based on the fact that it seems that these days more players are using aggressive strategies and also making (and calling) bigger bets.

Of course everything is a trade off, and what is gained in one sense will naturally result in losses on the flip side (for example slightly larger sizes will result in taking down more blinds preflop but will also result in slightly more lost when facing action and losing the hand).

I am interested in any thoughts, suggestions or insights you have on this idea and opening sizes preflop in general.

Kind Regards and Big Love! ❤️

 

[Joe]

So for clarity, immediately below is how I currently open and the following two are the ones 'under consideration'..

UTG:- 2bb
UTG+1:- 2.5bb
UTG+2:- 2.5bb
MP(LJ):- 2.5bb
MP(HJ):-2.5bb
CO:-2.5bb
BTN:- 3bb
SB:- 4bb/5bb
BB:- N/A


UTG:- 2.5bb
UTG+1:- 3bb
UTG+2:- 3bb
MP(LJ):- 3bb
MP(HJ):-3bb
CO:-3bb
BTN:- 3.5bb
SB:- 4.5bb/5.5bb
BB:- N/A


UTG:- 3bb
UTG+1:- 3.5bb
UTG+2:- 3.5bb
MP(LJ):- 3.5bb
MP(HJ):-3.5bb
CO:-3.5bb
BTN:- 4bb
SB:- 5bb/6bb
BB:- N/A

Any thoughts?

 

[Andyreas]

I have read somewhere that you are using this position -dependant sizing and it definitely incorporates the strength of position you're opening from. 👍

It's hard for me to give feedback since I use opening sizes depending on my/effective stack.

But in general I find >3 BB a lot, especially if you're quite short like <20 BB.

Would you risk 4 BB of your stack of 20 BBs on BN with 76s for example? 🤔

 

[Gallarado777]

I think in 2023 everyone opens as they want and there is no definite deposit right because everyone can open as they want and as much as they want, but the right discovery is if you have a large stack and a lot of chips, then you need to open more if closer to the average game, the opening decreases closer to the final game, the opening will be 2 bb standard

 

[fundiver199]

Opening size is a tradeoff between giving the blinds a bad price to defend and not losing to much, when we get 3-bet. At one extreme we can limp into the pot, which allow BB to always realise his equity for free, but we can fold to a raise and only lose the minimum. At the other extreme we can open shove for 100BB, which gives BB a very bad price to defend, but we are risking a huge amount to pick up a very small pot, so we can only play very few hands. Interestingly 10 years ago some people would argue for using a larger size from early position, because they had the strongest range. And Doug Polk was a proponent of exploitatively min-raising a very wide range on BTN, because people did not defend enough against it.

I am not quite sure, what the rationale is for using bigger sizes from early position and smaller sizes from late position (lets ignore SB for a moment)?But with that being said it does seem to be at least somewhat in line with, what software prefer. And maybe the reason is, that having the strongest range from EP, we can get fold equity against the blinds using even a small sizing. But I have to wonder, how true that is in real games, when stacks are deep, when there is an ante, and there is no ICM-pressure? Are we then not just inviting a ton of multiway action, if we min-raise from EP, or even go to 2,5BB with 100BB+ effective stacks?

I think so, so I dont like using these very small sizes with deep stacks early in an MTT. Maybe 2,5BB is ok on a table with a bunch of nits, but on a loose table like most freerolls or micro stakes games, I dont think, it does, what it needs to do. On the other hand raising to 3BB or more loses us to much, if we are more likely to get 3-bet than called, so its definitely not something, I would want to do from any position, if there are reshove stacks (<20-25BB) behind me, or I have a reshove stack myself. ICM also matter in tournaments. If there is a lot of risk aversion, which is typically the case on the bubble or final table, then even a min-raise can give a lot of fold equity and allow us to play a wider range.

Finally I think, the SB is a completely separate discussion, since its the only seat, where we are always out of position, if we get called. This definitely warrent using a larger sizing. But it also warrent using a limping strategy in ante games and then maybe limp-jam, if the effective stack is 25BB or less. If the effective stacks is those 20-25BB, the last thing, you want to do, is to put in 3-4BB and then have to fold to a 3-bet. Its much better to let the opponent to that and then let them have to fold, when you jam it in their face and apply the ICM-pressure to them.

 

[0546474]

I think that at the beginning of the tournament it doesn’t matter at all how much and in what position you will bet 3bb or 4bb, if the opponent decides to enter the pot, he will enter the pot anyway and the size of the bet will not affect his decision in any way, so I play 2-2.2bb to enter the bank as cheaply as possible and catch the combination you need!!! In the middle and late stages of the tournament, players are already saving their chips more and with a bet of 3-4bb Ax Kx and Qx with a weak kicker will fold and only strong hands with a strong kicker will remain in the game, which is not very profitable for you !!! In the middle to late stages of a tournament, I use a 2-3-bb bet depending on the strength of my hand, the number of chips, and the aggressiveness of the opponents at my table (2-3bb is a bet of 2-2.2-2.4-2.5- 2.7 or 3bb) !!!

 

[Leandro6803]

I usually open 2.5x at the beginning of the tournament and decrease as the tournament progresses.

making a bigger raise to oust the opponent just shows the weakness of your hand, and doing the same thing with strong hands is an ev- play since you want villain to call preflop, flop, turn and river, to extract the maximum chips.

 

[Marshmalo1994]

I take my stack and the tournament stage as a reference.
I open to 3BB in early stages, and after that I open to 2.2-2.5BB, unless I have a big stack, to keep opening to 2.5-3bb, normally more than 30BB (at least 10 times the size of the bet).
And in an advanced stage, I may open to 2BB, if my stack is between 12-20 BB.

So for clarity, immediately below is how I currently open

UTG:- 2bb
UTG+1:- 2.5bb
UTG+2:- 2.5bb
MP(LJ):- 2.5bb
MP(HJ):-2.5bb
CO:-2.5bb
BTN:- 3bb
SB:- 4bb/5bb

Any thoughts?

Considering your system, I think that an open of 2BB from UTG may be called for many players, and an open that big from sb may be too high. I wouldn't risk 5bb to steal the bb for example.

 

[rabman50]

Whatever RFI bet size we use we need to base it on position and stack depth not our hand. I typically will use 2.5BB with stacks between 50bb to 100bb. I will decrease my RFI bet size until we get to a stack size of 20 where I will min raise to 2BB. Another thing to consider is the stack size of the big blind. If you have 50bb and the big blind has less than 20bb you can min open to 2BB. Always open or 3bet a bit bigger from the small blind or big blind as you will be out of position where it is more difficult to realize your equity.

 

[Joe]

Would you risk 4 BB of your stack of 20 BBs on BN with 76s for example? 🤔

I'd certainly struggle to fold it...

Suited connectors...!!!

 

[23maxim88]

Hello fellow MTT enthusiasts!

For a long time I've had a very fixed system for my preflop opening sizes, quite simply as follows:

UTG:- 2bb
UTG+1 through to CO:- 2.5bb
Button:- 3bb
SB:- 3 or 4bb

These are the open sizes regardless of hole card strength.

This has worked well for me and continues to work reasonably well, however recently I have been thinking that I might want to increase these sizings slightly, perhaps by 0.5bb or 1bb from all positions.

My rationale for this is based on the fact that it seems that these days more players are using aggressive strategies and also making (and calling) bigger bets.

Of course everything is a trade off, and what is gained in one sense will naturally result in losses on the flip side (for example slightly larger sizes will result in taking down more blinds preflop but will also result in slightly more lost when facing action and losing the hand).

I am interested in any thoughts, suggestions or insights you have on this idea and opening sizes preflop in general.

Kind Regards and Big Love! ❤️

Why is the UTG raise 2 BBs? I would raise 3 BBs from the UTG position and 2.5 BBs from the remaining positions.

 

[Igor Popadyk]

as I understand it, we are talking about deep stacks, I think you should still play from opponents, but if your strategy works, is it worth changing?