Puzzles
#09
BB Defence
Intermediate
40bb effective

One hand, two openers

The same 40bb, the same big blind, the same two cards, the same 2.2bb open — decided twice. Only the opener’s seat changes, and the correct action changes with it.

  1. Pre-flop

Hand info

Seats
BB vs BTN
Street
Pre-flop
Pot
4.8 bb
Effective stack
40 bb
Villain raised to
2.2 bb
You already in
1 bb
To call
1.2 bb

MTT, 9-max, single raised pot. Blinds 0.5 / 1 with a 12.5% ante from every seat — 1.125bb of dead money before a card is dealt. The opener’s seat is the only thing that changes between the two decisions.

Pot4.8 BB
1
HERO ·BB
40 BB
UTG
FOLD
UTG+1
FOLD
UTG+2
FOLD
LJ
FOLD
HJ
FOLD
CO
FOLD
2.2
D
BTN
RAISE37.8 BB behind
0.5
SB
FOLD

PREFLOP · 40BB EFFECTIVE · ANTE 0.125BB

BTN OPEN

9-max table. Hero is BB with 40 big blinds effective. BTN OPEN. Hero holds As and Jd.

Hand history

Pre-flop

  • UTGFolds
  • UTG+1Folds
  • UTG+2Folds
  • LJFolds
  • HJFolds
  • COFolds
  • BTNRaises to 2.2 bb
  • SBFolds

It folds to the button, who opens to 2.2bb. The small blind folds. You are in the big blind with A♠J♦, 40bb effective, and 1.2bb more to call into a 4.8bb pot. Hold on to this hand — you are about to play it twice.

The button opened. What do you do?