Which hands should the small blind shove at 20bb?
The small blind posts half a big blind and acts first. With 20 big blinds behind, the solved chart shoves 40.2% of hands, which is 534 of the 1,326 two-card holdings, and folds the rest for the half blind already posted.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q5s+, J7s+, T6s+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K9o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o. By equity against a random hand, 54s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and K8o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. Q5s 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 20 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q5s+, J7s+, T6s+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K9o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 20bb?
When the small blind shoves at 20 big blinds, the big blind calls 21.7% of the time, 288 of the 1,326 combos. Every other hand folds and keeps the stack minus the big blind.
In shorthand the calling range is 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, A5o+, KTo+. By equity against a random hand, 33 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and K8s 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 20 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, A5o+, KTo+.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 20bb 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 20bb, 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 | 45 of 78 | 57.5% | 18 of 78 | 23.1% |
| Offsuit hands | 23 of 78 | 29.5% | 12 of 78 | 15.4% |
Which decisions are closest at 20bb?
At 20bb the tightest decisions are the hands whose edge over folding is smallest. Folding costs -0.500 for the small blind and -1.000 for the big blind, and every figure below is in big blinds.
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Shove EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity when called | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q5s | 72 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.4% | Shove |
| Q9o | 56 | -0.484 | -0.500 | +0.016 | 35.5% | Shove |
| 98o | 99 | -0.483 | -0.500 | +0.017 | 35.9% | Shove |
| K3s | 63 | -0.508 | -0.500 | -0.008 | 35.0% | Fold |
| 85s | 119 | -0.518 | -0.500 | -0.018 | 35.5% | Fold |
| T8o | 91 | -0.520 | -0.500 | -0.020 | 35.2% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A5o | 41 | -0.847 | -1.000 | +0.153 | 47.9% | Call |
| 33 | 66 | -0.827 | -1.000 | +0.173 | 47.9% | Call |
| A6o | 42 | -0.697 | -1.000 | +0.303 | 48.3% | Call |
| QJo | 39 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 47.5% | Fold |
| JTs | 45 | -1.218 | -1.000 | -0.218 | 47.0% | Fold |
| A4o | 49 | -1.282 | -1.000 | -0.282 | 46.8% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 20bb?
At 20bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.183 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 20bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18bb | 42.3% | 23.8% | -0.162 |
| 19bb | 40.9% | 22.6% | -0.173 |
| 20bb | 40.2% | 21.7% | -0.183 |
Going from 19bb to 20bb, K3s and K2s leave the small blind's shoving range; QJo leaves the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 19bb and 20bb is K3s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is QJo, from calling 100% of the time to 1%.
Only the smaller stack can be won or lost, so the chart is read at the effective stack. A player with 20 big blinds behind uses the 20bb 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 20bb 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 20bb 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 20bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K4s+, Q5s+, J7s+, T6s+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, 54s, A2o+, K9o+, Q9o+, J9o+, T9o, 98o, which is 40.2% of hands. The big blind calls 33+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, A5o+, KTo+, which is 21.7% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is Q5s a shove at 20bb?
- Q5s 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 72 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Should the big blind call with QJo at 20bb?
- 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 47.5%.