Which hands should the small blind shove at 12bb?
The small blind acts first and has two choices at 12bb, shove or fold. The solver shoves 53.2% of hands (706 of the 1,326 combos) and folds everything else.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K3o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o. By equity against a random hand, 53s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and Q7o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. No hand mixes here: every hand either shoves or folds, so the chart has no coin flips.
Small blind shove chart at 12 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K3o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 12bb?
A call at 12bb risks the whole stack, so the big blind needs a hand that holds up against the shoving range. The chart calls with 33.0% of hands (438 combos).
In shorthand the calling range is 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K7o+, QTo+, JTo. By equity against a random hand, 22 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and Q9o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. No hand mixes here: every hand either calls or folds, so the chart has no coin flips.
Big blind call chart at 12 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K7o+, QTo+, JTo.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 12bb 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 12bb, 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 | 58 of 78 | 74.4% | 27 of 78 | 34.6% |
| Offsuit hands | 33 of 78 | 42.3% | 21 of 78 | 26.9% |
Which decisions are closest at 12bb?
A hand's edge is its EV for acting minus the EV of folding, in big blinds. Folding is worth -0.500 for the small blind and -1.000 for the big blind facing a shove. Hands with an edge near zero change their answer first as the stack moves.
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Shove EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity when called | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J8o | 79 | -0.493 | -0.500 | +0.007 | 35.4% | Shove |
| 74s | 134 | -0.493 | -0.500 | +0.007 | 36.0% | Shove |
| 53s | 146 | -0.491 | -0.500 | +0.009 | 36.2% | Shove |
| T5s | 106 | -0.502 | -0.500 | -0.002 | 35.5% | Fold |
| 76o | 133 | -0.515 | -0.500 | -0.015 | 35.7% | Fold |
| 97o | 109 | -0.520 | -0.500 | -0.020 | 35.4% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K4s | 60 | -0.915 | -1.000 | +0.085 | 46.2% | Call |
| JTo | 57 | -0.889 | -1.000 | +0.111 | 46.3% | Call |
| K7o | 58 | -0.862 | -1.000 | +0.138 | 46.4% | Call |
| Q9o | 56 | -1.034 | -1.000 | -0.034 | 45.7% | Fold |
| T9s | 64 | -1.069 | -1.000 | -0.069 | 45.5% | Fold |
| K3s | 63 | -1.089 | -1.000 | -0.089 | 45.5% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 12bb?
At 12bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.083 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 value per hand turned negative at 8bb and has kept falling as stacks deepen. 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 12bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10bb | 58.3% | 37.4% | -0.045 |
| 11bb | 54.5% | 35.0% | -0.065 |
| 12bb | 53.2% | 33.0% | -0.083 |
| 13bb | 51.6% | 31.0% | -0.099 |
| 14bb | 48.4% | 29.3% | -0.114 |
Going from 11bb to 12bb, K2o and T5s leave the small blind's shoving range; Q9o, K6o, K3s and T9s leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 11bb and 12bb is T5s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is K3s, from calling 100% of the time to 0%.
Only the smaller stack can be won or lost, so the chart is read at the effective stack. A player with 12 big blinds behind uses the 12bb 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 12bb 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?
We solve a chips-only game for two players: small blind 0.5, big blind 1, no ante, equal stacks. Starting hands are the 169 classes, weighted so that shared cards are impossible, and equity comes from counting every five-card board. The solver plays itself with best responses, averages them, and fixes the hands on the edge so they are exactly indifferent. Exploitability is the most the two players could gain together by switching to a best response, in big blinds per hand. At 12bb 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 12bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K3o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o, which is 53.2% of hands. The big blind calls 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K7o+, QTo+, JTo, which is 33.0% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is J8o a shove at 12bb?
- J8o is one of the closest decisions on the small blind chart. Shoving is worth -0.493 big blinds against -0.500 for folding, so the chart shoves it, and it is rank 79 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Should the big blind call with Q9o at 12bb?
- The chart folds it, narrowly. Calling is worth -1.034 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, and its equity against the shoving range is 45.7%.