Which hands should the small blind shove at 8bb?
The small blind posts half a big blind and acts first. With 8 big blinds behind, the solved chart shoves 61.9% of hands, which is 820 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+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K2o+, Q5o+, J7o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o. By equity against a random hand, 53s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and Q4o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. Q4o 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 8 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K2o+, Q5o+, J7o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 8bb?
When the small blind shoves at 8 big blinds, the big blind calls 45.0% of the time, 596 of the 1,326 combos. Every other hand folds and keeps the stack minus the big blind.
In shorthand the calling range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J7s+, T8s+, 98s, A2o+, K2o+, Q7o+, J9o+, T9o. By equity against a random hand, 22 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and J8o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. Q7o 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 8 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J7s+, T8s+, 98s, A2o+, K2o+, Q7o+, J9o+, T9o.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 8bb 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 8bb, 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 | 62 of 78 | 79.5% | 38 of 78 | 48.7% |
| Offsuit hands | 41 of 78 | 52.8% | 31 of 78 | 39.1% |
Which decisions are closest at 8bb?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T7o | 101 | -0.494 | -0.500 | +0.006 | 35.7% | Shove |
| J7o | 92 | -0.483 | -0.500 | +0.017 | 35.9% | Shove |
| J2s | 104 | -0.481 | -0.500 | +0.019 | 36.0% | Shove |
| Q4o | 93 | -0.500 | -0.500 | +0.000 | 35.4% | Fold |
| 84s | 129 | -0.502 | -0.500 | -0.002 | 36.0% | Fold |
| 43s | 150 | -0.503 | -0.500 | -0.003 | 36.2% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q7o | 77 | -1.000 | -1.000 | +0.000 | 43.8% | Call |
| K2o | 86 | -0.983 | -1.000 | +0.017 | 43.9% | Call |
| 98s | 83 | -0.973 | -1.000 | +0.027 | 43.9% | Call |
| Q3s | 82 | -1.060 | -1.000 | -0.060 | 43.4% | Fold |
| J8o | 79 | -1.081 | -1.000 | -0.081 | 43.2% | Fold |
| T7s | 84 | -1.135 | -1.000 | -0.135 | 42.9% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 8bb?
At 8bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.004 big blinds per hand dealt, so the big blind's seat is the better one: it acts last and sees the shove before choosing. This is the first whole stack where the value per hand has turned negative. 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 8bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6bb | 68.3% | 54.4% | +0.038 |
| 7bb | 66.3% | 48.6% | +0.017 |
| 8bb | 61.9% | 45.0% | -0.004 |
| 9bb | 59.9% | 40.6% | -0.025 |
| 10bb | 58.3% | 37.4% | -0.045 |
Going from 7bb to 8bb, Q4o, Q3o, Q2o, T3s, 86o and 3 more leave the small blind's shoving range; J8o, Q6o, Q3s, T7s, J6s and 2 more leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 7bb and 8bb is T3s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is Q3s, 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 8bb it is 8 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 8bb 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 8bb 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 8bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J2s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K2o+, Q5o+, J7o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o, which is 61.9% of hands. The big blind calls 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q4s+, J7s+, T8s+, 98s, A2o+, K2o+, Q7o+, J9o+, T9o, which is 45.0% of hands. Both ranges are for a chips-only game with blinds of 0.5 and 1 and no ante.
- Is T7o a shove at 8bb?
- T7o is one of the closest decisions on the small blind chart. Shoving is worth -0.494 big blinds against -0.500 for folding, so the chart shoves it, and it is rank 101 of 169 by equity against a random hand.
- Should the big blind call with Q3s at 8bb?
- The chart folds it, narrowly. Calling is worth -1.060 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, and its equity against the shoving range is 43.4%.