How deep can the small blind shove 98s?
98s 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% | +0.016 | -0.500 | 50.8% |
| 2bb | 100% | +0.032 | -0.500 | 50.8% |
| 3bb | 100% | +0.031 | -0.500 | 49.1% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.022 | -0.500 | 45.3% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.074 | -0.500 | 42.8% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.098 | -0.500 | 41.5% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.110 | -0.500 | 40.9% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.129 | -0.500 | 40.7% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.128 | -0.500 | 40.2% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.115 | -0.500 | 40.3% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.137 | -0.500 | 40.0% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.141 | -0.500 | 40.1% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.143 | -0.500 | 39.9% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.136 | -0.500 | 40.1% |
| 15bb | 100% | -0.166 | -0.500 | 40.1% |
| 16bb | 100% | -0.171 | -0.500 | 39.6% |
| 17bb | 100% | -0.178 | -0.500 | 39.3% |
| 18bb | 100% | -0.170 | -0.500 | 39.5% |
| 19bb | 100% | -0.188 | -0.500 | 39.2% |
| 20bb | 100% | -0.185 | -0.500 | 39.2% |
When should the big blind call with 98s?
98s calls every time as the big blind up to 8bb. At 8bb its call is worth -0.9727 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 8bb a call breaks even at 43.8% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 8bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.016 | -1.000 | 50.8% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.059 | -1.000 | 48.5% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.249 | -1.000 | 45.8% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.385 | -1.000 | 45.2% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.500 | -1.000 | 45.0% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.631 | -1.000 | 44.7% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.744 | -1.000 | 44.7% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.973 | -1.000 | 43.9% |
| 9bb | 0% | -1.097 | -1.000 | 43.9% |
| 10bb | 0% | -1.221 | -1.000 | 43.9% |
| 11bb | 0% | -1.567 | -1.000 | 42.9% |
| 12bb | 0% | -1.745 | -1.000 | 42.7% |
| 13bb | 0% | -1.953 | -1.000 | 42.5% |
| 14bb | 0% | -2.137 | -1.000 | 42.4% |
| 15bb | 0% | -2.499 | -1.000 | 41.7% |
| 16bb | 0% | -2.703 | -1.000 | 41.6% |
| 17bb | 0% | -2.959 | -1.000 | 41.3% |
| 18bb | 0% | -3.100 | -1.000 | 41.4% |
| 19bb | 0% | -3.297 | -1.000 | 41.3% |
| 20bb | 0% | -3.499 | -1.000 | 41.3% |
What makes 98s different from similar hands?
98s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 83 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, 98s and 98o both shove at every stack from 1 to 20bb. From the big blind, 98s calls cleanly 2bb deeper than 98o (8bb against 6bb). 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 98s?
The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to 98s in strength, along with 98o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up 98s and how card removal changes them.
How were the numbers for 98s 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 98s a shove at 10bb heads-up?
- Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves 98s: shoving is worth -0.115 big blinds and folding -0.500.
- Should the big blind call a shove with 98s at 15bb?
- No. At 15bb calling with 98s is worth -2.499 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.
- Does 98s ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?
- Not from the small blind: 98s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 8bb and folds or mixes deeper.