Which hands should the small blind shove at 18bb?
At 18bb the small blind shoves 42.3% of hands, 562 of 1,326 combos, and the rest fold without a fight.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q5s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K8o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o. By equity against a random hand, 54s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and K7o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. J6s 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 18 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q5s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K8o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 18bb?
The big blind's side of the 18bb chart: call with 23.8% of hands (315 combos) and fold the rest.
In shorthand the calling range is 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, JTs, A4o+, KTo+, QJo. By equity against a random hand, 33 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and K8s is the highest-ranked hand that folds. JTs 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 18 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, JTs, A4o+, KTo+, QJo.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 18bb 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 18bb, 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 | 49 of 78 | 62.7% | 19 of 78 | 24.1% |
| Offsuit hands | 24 of 78 | 30.8% | 14 of 78 | 17.9% |
Which decisions are closest at 18bb?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J6s | 85 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.3% | Shove |
| K8o | 51 | -0.498 | -0.500 | +0.002 | 35.1% | Shove |
| 85s | 119 | -0.486 | -0.500 | +0.014 | 36.0% | Shove |
| T8o | 91 | -0.508 | -0.500 | -0.008 | 35.4% | Fold |
| K7o | 58 | -0.524 | -0.500 | -0.024 | 34.8% | Fold |
| Q4s | 76 | -0.525 | -0.500 | -0.025 | 35.0% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JTs | 45 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 47.2% | Call |
| A4o | 49 | -0.903 | -1.000 | +0.097 | 47.5% | Call |
| QJo | 39 | -0.875 | -1.000 | +0.125 | 47.6% | Call |
| K8s | 37 | -1.078 | -1.000 | -0.078 | 47.0% | Fold |
| K9o | 40 | -1.138 | -1.000 | -0.138 | 46.8% | Fold |
| A3o | 53 | -1.140 | -1.000 | -0.140 | 46.8% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 18bb?
At 18bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.162 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 18bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16bb | 44.8% | 26.5% | -0.139 |
| 17bb | 42.9% | 24.8% | -0.151 |
| 18bb | 42.3% | 23.8% | -0.162 |
| 19bb | 40.9% | 22.6% | -0.173 |
| 20bb | 40.2% | 21.7% | -0.183 |
Going from 17bb to 18bb, T8o leaves the small blind's shoving range; K8s and K9o leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 17bb and 18bb is T8o, which goes from shoving 60% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is K8s, from calling 100% of the time to 0%.
Read the chart by the shorter of the two stacks. If you hold 18bb and your opponent holds more, the extra chips never play, and this 18bb chart is the one to use.
Where can I check one hand or a different stack?
Pick a hand below to see where it flips, or open the calculator for any hand at any stack from 1 to 20 big blinds. The ICM pages show what changes with prize money.
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 18bb 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 18bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q5s+, J6s+, T6s+, 96s+, 85s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K8o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o, which is 42.3% of hands. The big blind calls 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, JTs, A4o+, KTo+, QJo, which is 23.8% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is J6s a shove at 18bb?
- J6s 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 85 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Should the big blind call with K8s at 18bb?
- The chart folds it, narrowly. Calling is worth -1.078 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, and its equity against the shoving range is 47.0%.