How to play 88

Pocket Eights

8
8
Strength rank
#7
of 169 hands
Top
4%
of all starting hands
Equity vs random
69.1%
heads-up
CategoryPremium

Top tier — open from any position, 3-bet for value.

Equity vs random opponents

OpponentsEquity
vs 1 random hand69.1%
vs 3 random hands37.6%
vs 5 random hands23.9%

Monte Carlo simulation using our own hand evaluator — 300,000 trials per matchup with full boards dealt and ties split evenly.

By position

PositionAction
UTG
Under the Gun
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.
MP
Middle Position
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.
CO
Cutoff
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.
BTN
Button
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.
SB
Small Blind
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.
BB
Big Blind (vs late open)
raise / 3-bet for value
Raise first in. 3-bet light openers for value.

Postflop notes

  • Mid pair — top pair some flops, under-pair on others. Often a one-street hand.
  • On low boards you can c-bet small. Slow down on overcard turns.

Take it further

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