Why Preflop Exploits Print Money: GTO vs Exploit

The leverage is highest preflop

Preflop touches every hand and compounds across a session. When ranges deviate before the flop, everything that follows – c-bet frequencies, stab spots, bluff-catch thresholds – shifts in your favor if you’ve adjusted. That’s why the fastest ROI often comes from tuning opens/defends/3-bets/4-bets to how people actually play, not how a solver assumes they will play later.

Use GTO as the anchor – then move with the pool

Start from equilibrium so your floor is high. Then layer in population exploits that are backed by real data, spot by spot (BTN vs BB, SB vs CO, UTG vs HJ, etc.). The idea is simple:

• Know what “average regs” really do.
• See how it differs from GTO.
• Build the best counter-ranges.

Three plug-and-play preflop exploits

1. BB under-3bets vs BTN opens‍

• Most pools don’t apply the polar 3-bet strategy the solver wants from the big blind. Against their more linear ranges, cut the bottom of your GTO continues and call and 4-bet tighter. (See free example of BTN vs BB)

2. SB under-defends vs IP

• When the small blind 3-bets and faces a 4-bet, they fold too often. Increase your bluff-4-bets and collect more money.

3. Tight BB vs early opens

• Against nits, the biggest edge is made before you see a flop. So open more hands preflop and play tighter postflop.

A sustainable approach

This isn’t guess-and-go. It’s built on large-sample population data (tens of millions of midstakes hands) distilled into “what regs actually do,” where it diverges from equilibrium, and the best counter-ranges for you. Preflop first, because that’s the street with the biggest impact – and the easiest to adjust.

Bottom line: Use GTO to set the floor. Use preflop exploits to raise the ceiling. When you align your opens/defends/3-bets/4-bets with real-world pool behavior, you don’t just play well – you get paid more.

Want the exact ranges?

Grab Preflop Xploit Ranges – a complete guide and breakdown of every formation (opens, defends, 3-bets, 4-bets; SRP/3-bet pots; IP/OOP) with ready-to-use exploits based on real pool tendencies.

Preflop Xploit ranges are available in Freebetrange Library:

• ✅ Free version: BTN vs BB exploit pack
• 💰 $300: Complete exploit preflop strategy for every spot
• 🎥 $450: Full exploit preflop strategy + video course showing how to apply these ranges in practice