Starting Hand
How to Play 98s — Nine-Eight suited Preflop Strategy
6-Max Cash Opening (100bb)
How often GTO opens 98s first-in from each seat.
Short-Stack Jam Frequency
How often 98s is a first-in shove at short stacks (tournament).
| Stack | UTG | MP | LJ | HJ | CO | BTN | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5bb | 0% | 0% | 83% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 99% |
| 8bb | 89% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Generated from the Crafty Penguin GTO solver · 6-max cash (NL500) & MTT Chip-EV · updated Jul 28, 2026
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Train 98s and every other hand until the right open is automatic.
Train preflop →Playing 98s preflop
A strong hand — open from most positions; the HJ is the earliest seat it opens. At 5bb it comes into the jamming range from 5 of the 7 seats — short stacks widen what's playable.
Position matters: from under-the-gun (LoJack) 98s opens 33% of the time, rising to 100% 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 98s is opening it from early position where the solver folds it. Respect the position threshold — it's an open from the HJ onward, not before.
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