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Facing a Raise

Small Blind Defense vs Cutoff Open — GTO 6-Max Cash

Facing a 2.5bb open from the Cutoff, GTO defends the Small Blind with about 14% of hands — roughly 5% as a flat call and 9% as a 3-bet. Everything else folds. The grid below shows the exact response.
14%
Defend
5%
Call
9%
3-Bet
Jam 3-bet Call Fold Partial fill = mixed frequency

Crafty Penguin GTO solver · 6-max cash (NL500) · 100bb · vs 2.5bb open · updated Jul 28, 2026

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Defending Small Blind vs a Cutoff open

The Small Blind faces the Cutoff's raise with the whole hand still to play out of position. That flips the maths: flatting is far less attractive, so the solver leans on 3-betting (~9%) over calling (5%), defending 14% overall.

Defending too wide by flat-calling out of position is one of the most expensive leaks in this spot — you invite the Big Blind to squeeze and you play every street last. When you continue, prefer a 3-bet with your good hands and fold the marginal ones.

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.

SB defense vs other openers

SB vs LJ SB vs HJ SB vs BTN
← All defense ranges Opening ranges → Starting hands →

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