Which hands should the small blind shove at 16bb?
At 16bb the small blind shoves 44.8% of hands, 594 of 1,326 combos, and the rest fold without a fight.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K7o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T8o+, 98o. By equity against a random hand, 64s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and K6o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. K7o and Q4s mix 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 16 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K7o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T8o+, 98o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 16bb?
Facing the shove, the big blind compares calling 16 big blinds against folding the 1 already posted. The equilibrium calls with 26.5% of hands, 351 of 1,326 combos, which is a tighter range than the one the small blind shoves.
In shorthand the calling range is 33+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, JTs, A3o+, K9o+, QJo. By equity against a random hand, 33 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and K7s is the highest-ranked hand that folds. A2o 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 16 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 33+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, JTs, A3o+, K9o+, QJo.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 16bb 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 16bb, 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% | 12 of 13 | 92.3% |
| Suited hands | 51 of 78 | 65.3% | 21 of 78 | 26.9% |
| Offsuit hands | 26 of 78 | 33.3% | 16 of 78 | 20.9% |
Which decisions are closest at 16bb?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K7o | 58 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.2% | Shove |
| Q4s | 76 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.6% | Shove |
| 64s | 138 | -0.495 | -0.500 | +0.005 | 36.2% | Shove |
| J5s | 90 | -0.506 | -0.500 | -0.006 | 35.6% | Fold |
| 87o | 117 | -0.510 | -0.500 | -0.010 | 35.9% | Fold |
| K6o | 62 | -0.531 | -0.500 | -0.031 | 34.8% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q9s | 43 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 46.9% | Call |
| A3o | 53 | -0.814 | -1.000 | +0.186 | 47.5% | Call |
| K9o | 40 | -0.715 | -1.000 | +0.285 | 47.8% | Call |
| A2o | 59 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 46.9% | Fold |
| QTo | 47 | -1.043 | -1.000 | -0.043 | 46.7% | Fold |
| K7s | 44 | -1.058 | -1.000 | -0.058 | 46.7% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 16bb?
At 16bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.139 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 16bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14bb | 48.4% | 29.3% | -0.114 |
| 15bb | 45.7% | 28.5% | -0.127 |
| 16bb | 44.8% | 26.5% | -0.139 |
| 17bb | 42.9% | 24.8% | -0.151 |
| 18bb | 42.3% | 23.8% | -0.162 |
Going from 15bb to 16bb, K6o leaves the small blind's shoving range; K7s, QTo, A2o and 22 leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 15bb and 16bb is K6o, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is K7s, from calling 100% of the time to 0%.
The stack is the effective stack, the smaller of the two, because only that many chips can change hands. At 16bb it is 16 big blinds even if the other player has more.
Where can I check one hand or a different stack?
Hands near the edge of the 16bb 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 16bb 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 16bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 64s+, 54s, A2o+, K7o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T8o+, 98o, which is 44.8% of hands. The big blind calls 33+, A2s+, K8s+, Q9s+, JTs, A3o+, K9o+, QJo, which is 26.5% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is K7o a shove at 16bb?
- K7o 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 58 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Should the big blind call with A2o at 16bb?
- 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 46.9%.