Which hands should the small blind shove at 1bb?
The small blind acts first and has two choices at 1bb, shove or fold. The solver shoves 100.0% of hands (1,326 of the 1,326 combos) and folds everything else.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o. Every hand shoves at this stack, down to 32o. No hand mixes here: every hand either shoves or folds, so the chart has no coin flips.
Small blind shove chart at 1 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 1bb?
A call at 1bb risks the whole stack, so the big blind needs a hand that holds up against the shoving range. The chart calls with 100.0% of hands (1,326 combos).
In shorthand the calling range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o. Every hand calls at this stack, down to 32o. No hand mixes here: every hand either calls or folds, so the chart has no coin flips.
Big blind call chart at 1 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 1bb ranges?
Pairs, suited hands and offsuit hands thin out at different speeds as the stack grows. The table counts the hands of each kind that act at 1bb, out of the 13 pairs and the 78 suited and 78 offsuit hands, and the share of each kind's specific combos that act once mixed hands are weighted by how often they act.
| Kind | Small blind shoves | Share of combos | Big blind calls | Share of combos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pairs | 13 of 13 | 100.0% | 13 of 13 | 100.0% |
| Suited hands | 78 of 78 | 100.0% | 78 of 78 | 100.0% |
| Offsuit hands | 78 of 78 | 100.0% | 78 of 78 | 100.0% |
Which decisions are closest at 1bb?
Edge means the EV of shoving or calling minus the EV of folding, from the start of the hand. The small blind gives up -0.500 by folding and the big blind -1.000. The hands closest to zero are the ones that flip first when the stack changes.
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Shove EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity when called | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32o | 169 | -0.354 | -0.500 | +0.146 | 32.3% | Shove |
| 42o | 168 | -0.336 | -0.500 | +0.164 | 33.2% | Shove |
| 62o | 167 | -0.319 | -0.500 | +0.181 | 34.1% | Shove |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32o | 169 | -0.354 | -1.000 | +0.646 | 32.3% | Call |
| 42o | 168 | -0.336 | -1.000 | +0.664 | 33.2% | Call |
| 62o | 167 | -0.319 | -1.000 | +0.681 | 34.1% | Call |
Which seat is ahead at 1bb?
At 1bb the small blind's seat is worth +0.000 big blinds per hand dealt, so the big blind's seat is the better one: it acts last and sees the shove before choosing. The small blind stays ahead until the stack reaches 8bb, where the value per hand turns negative. Value per hand dealt counts folds, shoves and calls together, from the start of the hand before the blinds go in.
How does the chart change around 1bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100.0% | 100.0% | +0.000 |
| 2bb | 89.4% | 100.0% | +0.010 |
| 3bb | 78.0% | 92.3% | +0.052 |
Going from 1bb to 2bb, 83o, 42s, 82o, 73o, 53o and 8 more leave the small blind's shoving range; the big blind's calling range keeps the same hands.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 1bb and 2bb is 42s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is AA, from calling 100% of the time to 100%.
Only the smaller stack can be won or lost, so the chart is read at the effective stack. A player with 1 big blinds behind uses the 1bb chart whatever the other stack is, if it is bigger.
Where can I check one hand or a different stack?
Hands near the edge of the 1bb ranges have pages of their own, and the calculator answers any hand at any stack from 1 to 20 big blinds. For tournament prize money, see the ICM examples.
How was this chart computed?
Both players hold one of the 169 starting-hand classes, weighted by the pairs of specific hands that share no card, so blockers count. Blinds are 0.5 and 1 with no ante and equal stacks. Each pair of classes is scored with its exact equity over every five-card board, and the solver repeats best responses against the other side's running average until the hands on the edge are made exactly indifferent. Exploitability is the most the two players could gain together by switching to a best response, in big blinds per hand. At 1bb the published strategies have an exploitability of under 0.000001 big blinds per hand, against a limit of 0.001.
Source: GeorgeLiPoker's own heads-up solver, run on its exact preflop equity table.
Questions
- What is the push or fold range at 1bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o, which is 100.0% of hands. The big blind calls 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T2s+, 92s+, 82s+, 72s+, 62s+, 52s+, 42s+, 32s, A2o+, K2o+, Q2o+, J2o+, T2o+, 92o+, 82o+, 72o+, 62o+, 52o+, 42o+, 32o, which is 100.0% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is 32o a shove at 1bb?
- 32o is one of the closest decisions on the small blind chart. Shoving is worth -0.354 big blinds against -0.500 for folding, so the chart shoves it, and it is rank 169 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Does the big blind call every hand at 1bb?
- Yes. At 1bb calling with any hand is worth at least as much as the -1.000 from folding, so the chart calls all 169 hands.