Which hands should the small blind shove at 9bb?
The small blind acts first and has two choices at 9bb, shove or fold. The solver shoves 59.9% of hands (794 of the 1,326 combos) and folds everything else.
In shorthand the shoving range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J3s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, 43s, A2o+, K2o+, Q6o+, J8o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o. By equity against a random hand, 43s is the lowest-ranked hand that still shoves and Q5o is the highest-ranked hand that folds. No hand mixes here: every hand either shoves or folds, so the chart has no coin flips.
Small blind shove chart at 9 big blinds heads-up. Shoves: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J3s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, 43s, A2o+, K2o+, Q6o+, J8o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o.
- Shove
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which hands should the big blind call with at 9bb?
Facing the shove, the big blind compares calling 9 big blinds against folding the 1 already posted. The equilibrium calls with 40.6% of hands, 538 of 1,326 combos, which is a tighter range than the one the small blind shoves.
In shorthand the calling range is 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, T8s+, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J9o+. By equity against a random hand, 22 is the lowest-ranked hand that still calls and Q5s 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 9 big blinds heads-up. Calls: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, T8s+, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J9o+.
- Call
- Mixes
- Fold
- Under 50% equity
Which kinds of hands make up the 9bb 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 9bb, 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% | 34 of 78 | 43.6% |
| Offsuit hands | 39 of 78 | 50.0% | 27 of 78 | 34.6% |
Which decisions are closest at 9bb?
At 9bb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T7o | 101 | -0.498 | -0.500 | +0.002 | 35.4% | Shove |
| 43s | 150 | -0.497 | -0.500 | +0.003 | 35.9% | Shove |
| T4s | 108 | -0.479 | -0.500 | +0.021 | 35.7% | Shove |
| Q5o | 89 | -0.501 | -0.500 | -0.001 | 35.0% | Fold |
| 84s | 129 | -0.501 | -0.500 | -0.001 | 35.5% | Fold |
| J2s | 104 | -0.504 | -0.500 | -0.004 | 35.3% | Fold |
| Hand | Rank of 169 | Call EV | Fold EV | Edge | Equity vs shoves | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K4o | 74 | -0.942 | -1.000 | +0.058 | 44.8% | Call |
| T8s | 73 | -0.911 | -1.000 | +0.089 | 44.9% | Call |
| J9o | 70 | -0.880 | -1.000 | +0.120 | 45.1% | Call |
| Q5s | 72 | -1.000 | -1.000 | -0.000 | 44.4% | Fold |
| J7s | 75 | -1.036 | -1.000 | -0.036 | 44.2% | Fold |
| T9o | 78 | -1.073 | -1.000 | -0.073 | 44.0% | Fold |
Which seat is ahead at 9bb?
At 9bb the small blind's seat is worth -0.025 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 9bb?
| Stack | Small blind shoves | Big blind calls | Small blind value per hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 11bb | 54.5% | 35.0% | -0.065 |
Going from 8bb to 9bb, Q5o, J7o and J2s leave and 43s joins the small blind's shoving range; Q5s, J7s, Q4s, Q7o, T9o and 3 more leave the big blind's calling range.
The biggest single move for the small blind between 8bb and 9bb is J2s, which goes from shoving 100% of the time to 0%. For the big blind it is Q5s, 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 9bb it is 9 big blinds even if the other player has more.
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 9bb 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 9bb heads-up?
- The small blind shoves 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J3s+, T4s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, 43s, A2o+, K2o+, Q6o+, J8o+, T7o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o, which is 59.9% of hands. The big blind calls 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, T8s+, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J9o+, which is 40.6% 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 9bb?
- T7o is one of the closest decisions on the small blind chart. Shoving is worth -0.498 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 Q5s at 9bb?
- 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 44.4%.