How to Play 98o Preflop (GTO)

How to Play 98o — Nine-Eight offsuit Preflop Strategy

GTO opens 98o first-in from 1 of the 5 positions in 6-max cash — from the Small Blind onward. Earlier than that, it folds. Below is the exact strategy by position and stack depth.

6-Max Cash Opening (100bb)

How often GTO opens 98o first-in from each seat.

Button

44%

Small Blind

81%

Short-Stack Jam Frequency

How often 98o is a first-in shove at short stacks (tournament).

Stack	UTG	MP	LJ	HJ	CO	BTN	SB
5bb	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	100%
8bb	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	91%

Generated from the Crafty Penguin GTO solver · 6-max cash (NL500) & MTT Chip-EV · updated Jul 28, 2026

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Playing 98o preflop

Playable in late position — open from the Small Blind onward and fold it from earlier seats. At 5bb it comes into the jamming range from 1 of the 7 seats — short stacks widen what's playable.

Position matters: from under-the-gun (LoJack) 98o opens 0% of the time, rising to 44% on the Button as fewer players are left to act behind you. The later you are, the wider you can open.

The common mistake with 98o is opening it from early position where the solver folds it. Respect the position threshold — it's an open from the Small Blind onward, not before.

How to Play 98o — Nine-Eight offsuit Preflop Strategy

Playing 98o preflop

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