How deep can the small blind shove 22?
22 shoves at every stack from 1 to 20 big blinds as the small blind. Its shove EV stays above the -0.5000 big blinds it earns by folding at each of them.
| Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.007 | -0.500 | 50.3% |
| 2bb | 100% | +0.013 | -0.500 | 50.3% |
| 3bb | 100% | +0.040 | -0.500 | 49.8% |
| 4bb | 100% | +0.163 | -0.500 | 48.9% |
| 5bb | 100% | +0.251 | -0.500 | 48.4% |
| 6bb | 100% | +0.287 | -0.500 | 47.9% |
| 7bb | 100% | +0.320 | -0.500 | 47.6% |
| 8bb | 100% | +0.326 | -0.500 | 47.3% |
| 9bb | 100% | +0.324 | -0.500 | 46.8% |
| 10bb | 100% | +0.323 | -0.500 | 46.4% |
| 11bb | 100% | +0.306 | -0.500 | 46.0% |
| 12bb | 100% | +0.295 | -0.500 | 45.7% |
| 13bb | 100% | +0.286 | -0.500 | 45.4% |
| 14bb | 100% | +0.271 | -0.500 | 45.1% |
| 15bb | 100% | +0.248 | -0.500 | 44.9% |
| 16bb | 100% | +0.216 | -0.500 | 44.5% |
| 17bb | 100% | +0.185 | -0.500 | 44.0% |
| 18bb | 100% | +0.160 | -0.500 | 43.7% |
| 19bb | 100% | +0.133 | -0.500 | 43.3% |
| 20bb | 100% | +0.111 | -0.500 | 43.0% |
When should the big blind call with 22?
22 calls every time as the big blind up to 15bb. At 15bb its call is worth -0.9859 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 15bb a call breaks even at 46.7% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 15bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.007 | -1.000 | 50.3% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.015 | -1.000 | 49.6% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.052 | -1.000 | 49.1% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.088 | -1.000 | 48.9% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.129 | -1.000 | 48.7% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.176 | -1.000 | 48.5% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.225 | -1.000 | 48.4% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.312 | -1.000 | 48.1% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.380 | -1.000 | 47.9% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.443 | -1.000 | 47.8% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.527 | -1.000 | 47.6% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.620 | -1.000 | 47.4% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.720 | -1.000 | 47.2% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.856 | -1.000 | 46.9% |
| 15bb | 100% | -0.986 | -1.000 | 46.7% |
| 16bb | 0% | -1.091 | -1.000 | 46.6% |
| 17bb | 0% | -1.223 | -1.000 | 46.4% |
| 18bb | 0% | -1.310 | -1.000 | 46.4% |
| 19bb | 0% | -1.454 | -1.000 | 46.2% |
| 20bb | 0% | -1.573 | -1.000 | 46.1% |
What makes 22 different from similar hands?
22 is 6 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 87 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. A pair has no kicker problem and always has a set to hope for, so pairs are the hands the big blind calls with most readily.
Where can I check other hands like 22?
The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to 22 in strength have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up 22 and how card removal changes them.
How were the numbers for 22 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.
Source: GeorgeLiPoker's own heads-up solver, run on its exact preflop equity table.
Questions
- Is 22 a shove at 10bb heads-up?
- Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves 22: shoving is worth +0.323 big blinds and folding -0.500.
- Should the big blind call a shove with 22 at 15bb?
- Yes. At 15bb calling with 22 is worth -0.986 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart calls.
- Does 22 ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?
- Not from the small blind: 22 shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 15bb and folds or mixes deeper.