---
title: "Push or fold with 96s heads-up"
url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96s.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96s"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "reference"
summary: "96s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 5.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack."
related: ["https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j6o.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j2s.md"]
---

# Push or fold with 96s heads-up

96s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 5.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack.

The solved heads-up answer for 96s: out of the small blind it shoves at every stack up to 20bb, and out of the big blind it calls at every stack up to 5.5bb and folds deeper. No ante, no prize pool.

- Shoves every time up to: 20bb
- Calls every time up to: 5.5bb
- Rank of 169: 103
- Combos: 4

## How deep can the small blind shove 96s?

96s 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.

96s as the small blind, by stack:

| Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1bb | 100% | -0.051 | -0.500 | 47.4% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.103 | -0.500 | 47.4% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.160 | -0.500 | 45.7% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.233 | -0.500 | 41.7% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.285 | -0.500 | 39.5% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.297 | -0.500 | 38.8% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.298 | -0.500 | 38.3% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.312 | -0.500 | 38.3% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.309 | -0.500 | 38.0% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.309 | -0.500 | 37.8% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.331 | -0.500 | 37.6% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.337 | -0.500 | 37.8% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.337 | -0.500 | 37.7% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.349 | -0.500 | 37.6% |
| 15bb | 100% | -0.387 | -0.500 | 37.6% |
| 16bb | 100% | -0.391 | -0.500 | 37.1% |
| 17bb | 100% | -0.402 | -0.500 | 36.8% |
| 18bb | 100% | -0.406 | -0.500 | 36.8% |
| 19bb | 100% | -0.427 | -0.500 | 36.5% |
| 20bb | 100% | -0.431 | -0.500 | 36.5% |

## When should the big blind call with 96s?

96s calls every time as the big blind up to 5.5bb. At 5.5bb its call is worth -0.9422 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 5.5bb a call breaks even at 40.9% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 5.5bb the chart folds it.

96s as the big blind, by stack:

| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1bb | 100% | -0.051 | -1.000 | 47.4% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.201 | -1.000 | 45.0% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.463 | -1.000 | 42.3% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.671 | -1.000 | 41.6% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.844 | -1.000 | 41.6% |
| 6bb | 0% | -1.026 | -1.000 | 41.4% |
| 7bb | 0% | -1.190 | -1.000 | 41.5% |
| 8bb | 0% | -1.492 | -1.000 | 40.7% |
| 9bb | 0% | -1.678 | -1.000 | 40.7% |
| 10bb | 0% | -1.825 | -1.000 | 40.9% |
| 11bb | 0% | -2.146 | -1.000 | 40.2% |
| 12bb | 0% | -2.378 | -1.000 | 40.1% |
| 13bb | 0% | -2.651 | -1.000 | 39.8% |
| 14bb | 0% | -2.956 | -1.000 | 39.4% |
| 15bb | 0% | -3.374 | -1.000 | 38.8% |
| 16bb | 0% | -3.565 | -1.000 | 38.9% |
| 17bb | 0% | -3.880 | -1.000 | 38.6% |
| 18bb | 0% | -4.109 | -1.000 | 38.6% |
| 19bb | 0% | -4.428 | -1.000 | 38.3% |
| 20bb | 0% | -4.698 | -1.000 | 38.3% |

## What makes 96s different from similar hands?

96s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 103 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, 96s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb, while 96o shoves every time only up to 4.5bb. From the big blind, 96s calls cleanly 1.5bb deeper than 96o (5.5bb against 4bb). 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 96s?

The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to 96s in strength, along with 96o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up 96s 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 20bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/20-bb.md)
- [Push or fold chart at 5bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/5-bb.md)
- [Push or fold with 96o](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/96o.md)
- [Push or fold with J6o](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j6o.md)
- [Push or fold with J2s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j2s.md)
- [96s combos and rank](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/96s.md)
- [Push or fold calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/push-fold-calculator.md)

## How were the numbers for 96s computed?

Both players hold one of the 169 starting-hand classes, weighted by the pairs of specific hands that share no card, so blockers count. Blinds are 0.5 and 1 with no ante and equal stacks. Each pair of classes is scored with its exact equity over every five-card board, and the solver repeats best responses against the other side's running average until the hands on the edge are made exactly indifferent.

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

## Questions

**Is 96s a shove at 10bb heads-up?**

Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves 96s: shoving is worth -0.309 big blinds and folding -0.500.

**Should the big blind call a shove with 96s at 15bb?**

No. At 15bb calling with 96s is worth -3.374 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.

**Does 96s ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?**

Not from the small blind: 96s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 5.5bb and folds or mixes deeper.

## Related

- [Heads-Up Push or Fold Charts, 1 to 20bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md)
- [Push or fold with J6o heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j6o.md)
- [Push or fold with J2s heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j2s.md)