Balancing Your Ranges in Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs)

[babyrosejr]

When playing MTTs, one of the biggest challenges is keeping your ranges balanced so opponents can’t easily exploit you. For example, if you only 3-bet with premium hands, good players will quickly adapt and stop giving you action. On the other hand, if you overdo your bluffs, you’ll burn chips against observant opponents.

How do you personally approach range balancing at different stages of a tournament? Do you mix in suited connectors and weaker Ax hands as bluffs when 3-betting, or do you keep it mostly value-heavy until later stages?

I’d love to hear how others manage their ranges, especially when stacks get shallow and ICM pressure comes into play.

 

[bremp555]

I think the concept of range balancing in MTTs really comes down to adjusting frequencies according to stack depths and opponent tendencies. In the early stages with deeper stacks, I don’t worry about perfect GTO balance, but I do try to keep my 3-bet range polarized. For example, I’ll mix in suited connectors, some suited wheel Ax, and low pairs as 3-bet bluffs, while keeping strong hands like QQ+, AK, and AQs for value. This way, my opponents can’t just fold every time I 3-bet without risking folding against premiums.

As stacks get shallower, I shift more towards a linear 3-bet range because the fold equity decreases and the SPR after a 3-bet is much lower. In these spots, balance matters less than maximizing EV by pushing small equity edges. When ICM pressure increases, especially near bubbles or final tables, my bluffs decrease significantly because chip preservation becomes more valuable than chip accumulation. However, I still like to maintain some bluffs with blockers — like A5s or KJs — so I’m not entirely face-up when I 3-bet.

What I’ve found is that maintaining balance is most important against observant regulars who actively adjust to tendencies. Against weaker or passive fields, you can deviate heavily from balance and just exploit. That’s why I think the “art” of MTT poker is knowing when to stick close to theory and when to shift toward pure exploitative play.