---
title: "Push or fold with 85s heads-up"
url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/85s.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/85s"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "reference"
summary: "85s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 18.5bb and calls from the big blind up to 4.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack."
related: ["https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t2s.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96o.md"]
---

# Push or fold with 85s heads-up

85s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 18.5bb and calls from the big blind up to 4.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack.

The solved heads-up answer for 85s: out of the small blind it shoves at every stack up to 18.5bb and folds deeper, and out of the big blind it calls at every stack up to 4.5bb and folds deeper. No ante, no prize pool.

- Shoves every time up to: 18.5bb
- Calls every time up to: 4.5bb
- Rank of 169: 119
- Combos: 4

## How deep can the small blind shove 85s?

85s shoves every time as the small blind up to 18.5bb. At 18.5bb its shove is worth -0.4825 big blinds against -0.5000 for folding. Past 18.5bb the chart folds it.

85s as the small blind, by stack:

| Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1bb | 100% | -0.109 | -0.500 | 44.5% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.218 | -0.500 | 44.5% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.321 | -0.500 | 42.8% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.369 | -0.500 | 39.6% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.373 | -0.500 | 38.2% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.368 | -0.500 | 37.7% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.356 | -0.500 | 37.7% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.380 | -0.500 | 37.6% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.377 | -0.500 | 37.2% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.378 | -0.500 | 37.1% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.393 | -0.500 | 37.1% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.409 | -0.500 | 37.0% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.416 | -0.500 | 36.8% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.415 | -0.500 | 37.0% |
| 15bb | 100% | -0.457 | -0.500 | 37.0% |
| 16bb | 100% | -0.464 | -0.500 | 36.5% |
| 17bb | 100% | -0.477 | -0.500 | 36.0% |
| 18bb | 100% | -0.486 | -0.500 | 36.0% |
| 19bb | 0% | -0.507 | -0.500 | 35.6% |
| 20bb | 0% | -0.518 | -0.500 | 35.5% |

## When should the big blind call with 85s?

85s calls every time as the big blind up to 4.5bb. At 4.5bb its call is worth -0.9268 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 4.5bb a call breaks even at 38.9% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 4.5bb the chart folds it.

85s as the big blind, by stack:

| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1bb | 100% | -0.109 | -1.000 | 44.5% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.316 | -1.000 | 42.1% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.613 | -1.000 | 39.8% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.835 | -1.000 | 39.6% |
| 5bb | 0% | -1.031 | -1.000 | 39.7% |
| 6bb | 0% | -1.264 | -1.000 | 39.5% |
| 7bb | 0% | -1.459 | -1.000 | 39.6% |
| 8bb | 0% | -1.771 | -1.000 | 38.9% |
| 9bb | 0% | -1.971 | -1.000 | 39.1% |
| 10bb | 0% | -2.197 | -1.000 | 39.0% |
| 11bb | 0% | -2.554 | -1.000 | 38.4% |
| 12bb | 0% | -2.820 | -1.000 | 38.3% |
| 13bb | 0% | -3.133 | -1.000 | 37.9% |
| 14bb | 0% | -3.443 | -1.000 | 37.7% |
| 15bb | 0% | -3.650 | -1.000 | 37.8% |
| 16bb | 0% | -3.921 | -1.000 | 37.7% |
| 17bb | 0% | -4.252 | -1.000 | 37.5% |
| 18bb | 0% | -4.480 | -1.000 | 37.6% |
| 19bb | 0% | -4.723 | -1.000 | 37.6% |
| 20bb | 0% | -5.008 | -1.000 | 37.5% |

## What makes 85s different from similar hands?

85s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 119 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, 85s shoves cleanly 15.5bb deeper than 85o (18.5bb against 3bb). From the big blind, 85s calls cleanly 1bb deeper than 85o (4.5bb against 3.5bb). Suited hands win more often because of flushes, which is why the suited version is the more playable of the pair.

## Where can I check other hands like 85s?

The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to 85s in strength, along with 85o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up 85s and how card removal changes them.

Related pages:

- [All hands and stacks heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md)
- [Push or fold chart at 18bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/18-bb.md)
- [Push or fold chart at 4bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/4-bb.md)
- [Push or fold with 85o](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/85o.md)
- [Push or fold with T2s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t2s.md)
- [Push or fold with 96o](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96o.md)
- [85s combos and rank](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/85s.md)
- [Push or fold calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/push-fold-calculator.md)

## How were the numbers for 85s computed?

The game has two players, blinds of 0.5 and 1, no ante and one effective stack. Every one of the 169 starting-hand classes is dealt in proportion to the card-compatible pairs of specific hands, and a showdown is settled with the exact equity from our preflop table. Each side keeps answering the other's average strategy until neither can gain, then the borderline hands are solved exactly.

Source: GeorgeLiPoker's own heads-up solver, run on its exact preflop equity table.

## Questions

**Is 85s a shove at 10bb heads-up?**

Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves 85s: shoving is worth -0.378 big blinds and folding -0.500.

**Should the big blind call a shove with 85s at 15bb?**

No. At 15bb calling with 85s is worth -3.650 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.

**Why does 85s change from a shove to a fold as stacks grow?**

Deeper stacks put more chips at risk for the same blinds, and the big blind can afford to call a smaller share of hands. 85s shoves every time only up to 18.5bb.

## Related

- [Heads-Up Push or Fold Charts, 1 to 20bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md)
- [Push or fold with T2s heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t2s.md)
- [Push or fold with 96o heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96o.md)