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LJ vs BB SRP C-Bet Strategy | 30bb Board-by-Board Hit Chart [Ajo MTT Vol.3]

A GTO Wizard walkthrough of c-betting strategy in LJ vs BB SRPs at ES 30bb. Covers c-bet frequency tendencies by high card / suit / pairedness / connectedness, plus eight individual board breakdowns (A95, K95, KK5, K55, 777, 862). Vol.3 of Ajo's MTT Strategy Series.

LJ vs BB SRP C-Bet Strategy at 30bb

Written by: Ajo (X: @AjoPoker)

Hi, I'm Ajo.

The theme of Vol. 3 is c-bet strategy from an early position (LJ) vs BB in single-raised pots. BTN vs BB c-bets have been covered widely, but the LJ vs BB version is rarely studied in depth.

In this article, with ES 30bb as our framework, we'll work through board-by-board c-bet decisions — using the question "will the opponent's small pocket pair tough-call or over-fold?" as our exploit anchor.

📌 Setup

  • Spot: LJ vs BB SRP (LJ opens, BB calls, heads-up to the flop)
  • Stack: ES 30bb
  • Solution: GTO Wizard ChipEV (no ICM)
  • Range tables: LJ (IP) on the left, BB (OOP) on the right

Preflop Ranges

LJ open range at 30bb
LJ open range
BB defense range vs LJ open at 30bb
BB defense range

LJ open range

  • The bottom of the open is around 33 and A8o (indifferent, mixed)
  • Offsuit broadways down to JTo–KTo are open
  • At a shallow 30bb, suited connectors and small pocket pairs lose value, while high cards (broadways) gain value

BB defense range

  • BB calls broadly — down to Q4o
  • 22 and 33 are pure calls (not mixed into 3-bets)

For a deeper dive into BB defense ranges, see Ajo's separate note article (in Japanese).

note
BB Defense Range Explained (Japanese)
Ajo's deep dive into BB's call and 3-bet ranges versus an early-position open (external note article).
🔗 note.com / @joyful_gibbon180

C-Bet Frequency Tendencies (4 Lenses)

How does the c-bet frequency change with board structure? Four ways to slice it.

1. By high card

C-bet frequency by high card
C-bet frequency by high card (GTO Wizard aggregate analysis)
  • Boards with a T or higher as the top card see high c-bet frequency
  • Frequency drops on 9-or-lower boards
  • One subtle exception: KTo is in LJ's range, but the only 9xo is A9o, which weakens LJ's range on 9x boards

2. By suit structure

C-bet frequency by suit structure
C-bet frequency by suit structure (GTO Wizard aggregate analysis)
  • Monotone boards see the highest c-bet frequency but the lowest EV
  • On monotone boards, BB also has nutted hands (flushes), so large bet sizes are rarely usable

3. By pairedness

C-bet frequency on paired boards
C-bet frequency on paired boards (GTO Wizard aggregate analysis)
  • Paired boards c-bet at 84% — high but not as extreme as you might expect
  • As we'll see, low paired boards are the exception because of trips coverage

4. By connectedness

C-bet frequency by connectedness
C-bet frequency by connectedness (GTO Wizard aggregate analysis)
  • The drier (less connected) the board, the higher the c-bet frequency
  • Less straight potential = clearer range advantage for IP

Individual Board Breakdowns

Eight specific boards.


1. A95 Rainbow

A95 rainbow LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
A95 rainbow
A95 rainbow size-by-size BB response
BB response by bet size
A95 rainbow value lower bound by size
Value lower bound by size
  • Range bet (almost every hand bets)
  • Sizes used range from 20% to 125% pot
  • AT+ is the value lower bound for large bets
  • Pocket pairs don't fold to a 33% bet
  • Pocket pairs fold to a 55% bet

→ To force pocket pairs to fold, you need 55% or larger.


2. A95 Two-Tone

A95 two-tone LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
A95 two-tone
A95 two-tone AQs sizing splits
AQs sizing splits
A95 two-tone pocket pair response to 33% bet
PP response to 33% bet
A95 two-tone QJo backdoor check-raise
QJo backdoor check-raise
  • Range bet
  • Sizes used: 20% to 83%
  • AQs with a flush draw favors 55%, while AQs without a flush draw favors 83% for protection
  • Pocket pairs don't fold to a 20% bet
  • Pocket pairs without backdoor flush draws mostly fold to a 33% bet
  • QJo with a backdoor flush draw check-raises at a meaningful frequency

3. K95 Rainbow

K95 rainbow LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
K95 rainbow
K95 rainbow hands that check often
High check-frequency hands
K95 rainbow BB response by size
BB response by size
  • Bets at 81% of range
  • Sizes used: 20% to 83%
  • High check-frequency hands: ATs–AQs, pocket pairs, K5s–K7s, etc.
  • Pocket pairs call a 20% bet
  • Pocket pairs with both backdoor flush colors call a 33% bet at low frequency

4. K95 Two-Tone

K95 two-tone LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
K95 two-tone
K95 two-tone small pair response
Small pair response
  • Bets at 77% of range
  • Even at a 20% bet, small pocket pairs without a backdoor flush draw prefer to fold
  • Why? Because gutshots and flush draws have higher continuation priority
  • This is a board where small pocket pairs become tough calls in practice

5. KK5 Rainbow

KK5 rainbow LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
KK5 rainbow
KK5 rainbow BB fold frequency
BB fold frequency to 20% bet
  • Range bet
  • Most of the time at a 20% size
  • Against the 20% bet, even ace-high struggles, and BB folds 53% of its range
  • BB raises with most Kx, 5x, and backdoor straight draws

6. K55 Rainbow

K55 rainbow LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
K55 rainbow
K55 rainbow ace-high check-raise frequency
Ace-high check-raise frequency
  • Bets at 55% of range (not a range bet)
  • QQ and JJ — marginal hands with low protection needs — check at high frequency
  • Only size used: 20%
  • Against the 20% bet, ace-high check-raises at high frequency

📍 Exploit point

The "raise-instead-of-call" line on paired boards is theoretically valid, but most opponents under-raise here.
→ You can c-bet looser than equilibrium without much practical risk.


7. 777 (Trips Board)

777 LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
777 trips board (LJ vs BB, 30bb)
  • Range bet
  • Trips boards heavily favor IP (overpair / nut-hand coverage skews)
  • Bet without hesitation

8. 862 Rainbow

862 rainbow LJ vs BB c-bet strategy
862 rainbow
862 rainbow size distribution
Size distribution
862 rainbow small pair response to 83% bet
SP response to 83% bet
862 rainbow hit-class response
Hit-class response
  • Bets at 50% of range (low / connected boards have more checking)
  • Most-used size: 83%
  • 99–QQ and 8x prefer large bets for protection
  • Small pocket pairs don't fold to 55%-or-smaller, but fold to 83%
  • Out counts for small pocket pairs:
    • vs top hit: 2 outs
    • vs bottom hit: 5 outs

Summary

A two-lens framework for c-betting decisions.

Equilibrium lens (from the GTO solution)

  1. How much does this board favor the IP raiser?
  2. Can a small bet already fold out a lot of hands?
  3. Do you hold hands that need protection?

Exploit lens (from opponent tendencies)

  1. Will this be a tough call? (Especially watch how small pocket pairs respond.)
  2. Are check-raises sufficient? (Most opponents under-raise.)

Combine both lenses to choose your sizes and frequencies.

⚠️ Where this exploit works — and where it doesn't

The "make small pairs tough-call or over-fold" framing only pays off when you can read your opponent's tendencies. Over-using range bets against adaptive opponents leaves your check range capped and exploitable. Calibrate your frequency based on the player you're up against.


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