Which hands should the small blind shove at 13bb?
Shove or fold is the whole decision for the small blind at 13 big blinds. The chart below moves all in with 51.6% of hands (684 combos out of 1,326) and gives up the small blind with every other hand.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q3s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o. By equity against a random hand, 64s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and Q7o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. J8o mixes between shoving and folding at this stack, which marks the edge of the range: either choice is close to break-even.
Small blind shove chart at 13 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q3s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 13bb?
The big blind has already put in one big blind, so folding costs -1. At 13bb the chart calls 31.0% of hands, 410 combos out of 1,326, and gives up the rest.
In shorthand the calling range is 22+, A2s+, K5s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K8o+, QTo+. By equity against a random hand, 22 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and Q9o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. JTo mixes between calling and folding at this stack, which marks the edge of the range: either choice is close to break-even.
Big blind call chart at 13 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 22+, A2s+, K5s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K8o+, QTo+.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 13bb 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 13bb, 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 | 56 of 78 | 71.8% | 26 of 78 | 33.3% |
| Offsuit hands | 32 of 78 | 40.8% | 19 of 78 | 24.4% |
Which decisions are closest at 13bb?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J8o | 79 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.3% | Shove |
| Q8o | 68 | -0.499 | -0.500 | +0.001 | 35.1% | Shove |
| J4s | 95 | -0.495 | -0.500 | +0.005 | 35.6% | Shove |
| 53s | 146 | -0.502 | -0.500 | -0.002 | 36.0% | Fold |
| T5s | 106 | -0.508 | -0.500 | -0.008 | 35.5% | Fold |
| 97o | 109 | -0.511 | -0.500 | -0.011 | 35.6% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q8s | 52 | -0.982 | -1.000 | +0.018 | 46.2% | Call |
| J9s | 55 | -0.921 | -1.000 | +0.079 | 46.5% | Call |
| K5s | 54 | -0.863 | -1.000 | +0.137 | 46.7% | Call |
| JTo | 57 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 46.2% | Fold |
| K7o | 58 | -1.057 | -1.000 | -0.057 | 45.9% | Fold |
| K4s | 60 | -1.090 | -1.000 | -0.090 | 45.8% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 13bb?
At 13bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.099 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 13bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 15bb | 45.7% | 28.5% | -0.127 |
Going from 12bb to 13bb, K3o, Q2s and 53s leave the small blind's shoving range; JTo, K7o and K4s leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 12bb and 13bb is Q2s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is K4s, 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 13 big blinds behind uses the 13bb 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 13bb 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 13bb 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 13bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q3s+, J4s+, T6s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J8o+, T8o+, 98o, 87o, which is 51.6% of hands. The big blind calls 22+, A2s+, K5s+, Q8s+, J9s+, A2o+, K8o+, QTo+, which is 31.0% 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 13bb?
- J8o is one of the closest decisions on the small blind chart. Shoving is worth -0.500 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 JTo at 13bb?
- The chart folds it, narrowly. Calling is worth -1.000 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, and its equity against the shoving range is 46.2%.