500+ Solved Preflop Spots: From 10bb to 200bb

You've memorized opening ranges from the button and learned when to 3-bet from the blinds. But what happens when effective stacks drop to 35bb in a tournament? Or when you're playing 200bb deep in a cash game? The same preflop strategy that works at 100bb can cost you chips—or entire tournaments—at different stack depths.

In Preflop Ranges: Building Your Opening Strategy">Part 1 of this series, we explored the foundation of opening ranges and positional strategy. Now we're taking it further by examining how GTO">GTO preflop strategy transforms across the entire spectrum of stack depths, from desperate push-fold situations to the nuanced play of deep-stacked poker.

Why Stack Depth Changes Everything

Stack depth fundamentally alters the mathematics of poker. At 10bb, you're operating in a binary world of push or fold. At 200bb, you have room for complex multi-street strategies with multiple bet sizes. This isn't just a difference in degree—it's a difference in kind.

The key metric that drives these strategic shifts is your Stack-to-Pot Ratio (SPR)">stack-to-pot ratio. When stacks are shallow relative to the pot, Implied Odds">implied odds decrease and the value of position diminishes. Conversely, deep stacks amplify the importance of Equity Realization">equity realization and positional advantages.

Consider a simple example: holding KQo in the cutoff. At 100bb effective, this is a straightforward open. At 30bb in a tournament, it's still an open, but now you need to consider that calling a 3-bet becomes increasingly difficult. At 15bb, you're often better off going all-in rather than opening to 2-2.5bb, because the pot odds you're giving opponents make defending too easy. At 200bb deep, KQo becomes more marginal because you'll often face difficult postflop decisions out of position.

The Push-Fold Zone: 10-15bb Effective

When stacks drop below 15bb, conventional raise-fold strategies become inefficient. The pot is simply too large relative to remaining stacks, and giving opponents favorable pot odds to call is a leak you can't afford.

In this zone, solved strategies show you should be pushing all-in with a much wider range than you might expect. From the button at 12bb effective, GTO solutions push ranges that include hands like K5s, Q8s, and even J7s. Why? Because Fold Equity">fold equity becomes paramount, and the times you win the blinds and antes uncontested provide enough Expected Value (EV)">EV to compensate for the risk.

The math is straightforward when you use a Stack to Blinds Calculator">stack to blinds calculator: with 12bb effective and standard antes, there's approximately 2.5bb in the pot before action. A push from the button needs to work only about 55-60% of the time to be profitable with any two cards, before we even consider our equity when called.

Defending Against Short Stack Aggression

Understanding push ranges is only half the equation. When facing a 12bb push from the button while sitting in the big blind with 15bb effective, you need to call with roughly the top 35-40% of hands. This includes hands like A2s, K9o, Q9s, and any pocket pair.

Many players defend too tight in these spots, not accounting for the pot odds they're getting and the wide ranges their opponents must push with. GTO solutions clearly show that folding hands like K8o or A5o to a button push at these stack depths is leaving significant EV on the table.

The Awkward Middle: 15-30bb

Between 15bb and 30bb lies poker's most strategically complex territory. You have too many chips to pure push-fold, but not enough for comfortable postflop play. This zone requires the most granular understanding of preflop ranges.

At 25bb effective, for instance, you should still be opening from the cutoff with a wide range—approximately 35% of hands. But now you're using a small open size (2-2.5bb) and need a plan for when you face a 3-bet. Against a 10bb 3-bet, you're getting 2.9:1 on a call, making folding hands with 20%+ equity against their range unprofitable.

The solved approach at these depths includes:

• More linear 3-betting ranges: Unlike deep stack play where you Polarized Range">polarize your 3-bets, at 25bb you 3-bet with a Merged Range">merged range that includes all your strong hands and some weaker ones for balance
• Tighter opening ranges from early position: With less room for postflop maneuvering, marginal hands like KTo and Q9s become folds from UTG at 20bb
• Aggressive isolation plays: When facing a limp, isolation raises should be larger (3-4bb) and more frequent, as you're trying to play heads-up rather than create a large multiway pot
• Strategic shoving over 3-bets: Hands like AJ, KQs, and medium pairs often prefer to 4-bet shove rather than call when facing 3-bets at these depths

Standard Tournament Depth: 30-60bb

The 30-60bb range represents where most tournament poker is played, from the middle stages through to many final table situations. At these depths, postflop play becomes viable but still requires careful hand selection due to shallow SPRs.

At 40bb effective, a typical cutoff opening range includes about 40% of hands. You're opening hands like A7o, K9s, Q9o, and all suited broadways. Your opening size should be around 2.25bb in tournaments, creating a starting pot of approximately 5.75bb when called from the blinds.

This creates an SPR of roughly 6:1 on the flop—shallow enough that top pair often wants to get stacks in by the river, but deep enough that you need to be selective about which top pairs you commit with.

3-Bet Strategies at Medium Depth

Three-betting at 40-50bb effective requires more balance than at shallower depths. From the big blind facing a button open, GTO solutions 3-bet approximately 10-12% of hands. This range includes:

• Premium value hands: QQ+, AK
• Strong playable hands: JJ, TT, AQ, AJs
• Polarized bluffs: A5s-A2s (wheel aces with blockers), K9s-K7s, suited connectors like 87s and 76s

The 3-bet size should typically be 3x the open (around 7bb facing a 2.25bb open), creating a pot where continuing becomes a serious decision for the opener. When facing a 4-bet at these depths with hands like JJ or AQ, you're often in difficult spots—too strong to fold, too weak to confidently get it in.

Cash Game Territory: 100-200bb

Once stacks reach 100bb and deeper, poker transforms again. Implied odds matter tremendously, position becomes even more valuable, and the complexity of the game tree expands exponentially.

At 150bb effective, your button opening range can expand to nearly 50% of hands in cash games. You're playing hands like J8s, T7s, and even some suited gappers because the implied odds justify seeing flops with speculative hands that can make strong but disguised holdings.

Deep stack preflop strategy prioritizes:

• Smaller opening sizes: 2-2.5bb opens in position, sometimes even smaller from the button, to keep SPRs manageable and reduce the cost of stealing
• Tighter 3-bet ranges from out of position: Hands like AJo and KQo often prefer to call rather than 3-bet when deep, as they struggle to realize equity when called in a bloated pot
• More flatting in general: With 150bb effective, calling a 3-bet with hands like 99, AQ, or AJs becomes more attractive because you have room to play postflop
• Polarized 4-bet ranges: At deep stacks, your 4-bets should be strongly polarized—premium value hands like QQ+ and AK, plus bluffs with good blockers like A5s and some suited connectors

The Reality of Deep Stack Preflop

Here's what many players miss about deep stack preflop: it's not about playing more hands—it's about playing the right hands for postflop playability. A hand like KTo might be a clear open at 40bb, but at 200bb deep from UTG, it's often a fold. Why? Because you'll face difficult decisions on K-high boards against aggressive opponents, and you'll struggle to continue on many flops that miss you entirely.

Conversely, hands like 76s and 98s increase in value because when they connect, they often make very strong hands that can extract multiple streets of value from one-pair hands.

Multiway Considerations Across Stack Depths

The analysis so far has focused on heads-up pots, but stack depth also dramatically affects multiway strategy. At 20bb, you should nearly always fold to an open and a call when you're on the button with marginal hands—the pot odds don't compensate for the reduced equity and playability.

At 100bb deep, however, calling with suited connectors and small pairs becomes more attractive even with multiple players in the pot, because you're getting tremendous direct and implied odds to see a flop.

The key adjustment: as stacks get shallower, tighten your multiway calling ranges dramatically and favor hands that make top pair or better. As stacks deepen, you can loosen up and include more speculative hands that profit from implied odds.

Putting It Into Practice

Understanding these strategic shifts intellectually is one thing—internalizing them through practice is another. The challenge is that most players only experience certain stack depths occasionally, making it difficult to build intuition.

This is where training with pre-solved spots becomes invaluable. Preflop+">Preflop+ contains hundreds of solved preflop situations across every stack depth from push-fold ranges to deep stack cash games. You can drill specific scenarios—like defending the big blind at 25bb effective or 3-betting from the button at 150bb—until the correct ranges become second nature.

For tournament players specifically, GTO Ranges+">GTO Ranges+ offers complete range charts optimized for tournament conditions at every stack depth, with adjustments for ICM pressure and bubble situations. You can reference these ranges during study sessions or even between hands to ensure you're making theoretically sound decisions.

Start by focusing on one stack depth zone at a time. If you primarily play tournaments, master the 15-30bb range first—it's where most crucial decisions occur. Cash game players should prioritize the 100-150bb depth, where small preflop errors compound into significant postflop problems.

Key Takeaways

Preflop strategy isn't static—it's a dynamic system that must adapt to changing stack depths. At 10-15bb, focus on push-fold ranges and aggressive all-in play. At 15-30bb, balance between shoves and standard opens while tightening your ranges. At 30-60bb, you can open wider but need clear postflop plans. At 100bb+, prioritize playability and implied odds over raw hand strength.

The players who succeed across all formats aren't necessarily more talented—they've simply internalized how strategy shifts with stack size. They know when to shove K7s from the button (12bb), when to fold it (25bb), and when to open it (100bb+ in a cash game).

Every stack depth presents unique strategic opportunities. By studying solved ranges across the full spectrum, you'll never again be confused about whether to push, open, or fold in those critical moments where stack size makes all the difference.

Ready to master preflop strategy at every stack depth? Download Download Preflop+ on the App Store">Preflop+ from the App Store or Get Preflop+ on Google Play">Google Play and start training with 500+ pre-solved preflop spots today.