Facing a Raise
Big Blind Defense vs Small Blind Open — GTO 6-Max Cash
Crafty Penguin GTO solver · 6-max cash (NL500) · 100bb · vs 3bb open · updated Jul 28, 2026
Drill this defense spot against the solver
Practise folding, flatting, and 3-betting Big Blind vs Small Blind until it's automatic.
Train this spot →Defending Big Blind vs a Small Blind open
The Big Blind is closing the action here — everyone has folded to the Small Blind's raise, and you're deciding whether to fold, flat, or 3-bet. Against a 3bb open you're getting a great price to continue, which is why the defend frequency (56%) is far wider than an opening range.
From the Big Blind you can flat wide (39% of hands) because you only have to call 3bb into a pot that already holds the small blind's dead money, and you close the action. Your 3-bet range (~17%) is the value hands plus some suited blockers as bluffs.
Read the grid by cell colour: teal is a jam, amber a 3-bet, blue a flat call, and the dark fill is fold. A split cell is a mixed frequency — the solver takes each action some percentage of the time. Drill the borderline hands at the edge of the defending range; that's where the EV is won or lost.
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