--- title: "Push or fold with A3o heads-up" url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/a3o.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/a3o" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "A3o shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 16bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack." related: ["https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/q8s.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/k5s.md"] --- # Push or fold with A3o heads-up A3o shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 16bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack. Heads-up, as the small blind A3o shoves at every stack up to 20bb. As the big blind it calls at every stack up to 16bb, mixes at 16.5bb alone and folds deeper. Chips only, no ante, equal stacks. - Shoves every time up to: 20bb - Calls every time up to: 16bb - Rank of 169: 53 - Combos: 12 ## How deep can the small blind shove A3o? A3o 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. A3o as the small blind, by stack: | Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1bb | 100% | +0.117 | -0.500 | 55.8% | | 2bb | 100% | +0.234 | -0.500 | 55.8% | | 3bb | 100% | +0.347 | -0.500 | 54.9% | | 4bb | 100% | +0.433 | -0.500 | 53.0% | | 5bb | 100% | +0.486 | -0.500 | 51.7% | | 6bb | 100% | +0.487 | -0.500 | 50.4% | | 7bb | 100% | +0.489 | -0.500 | 49.5% | | 8bb | 100% | +0.470 | -0.500 | 48.7% | | 9bb | 100% | +0.412 | -0.500 | 47.2% | | 10bb | 100% | +0.370 | -0.500 | 46.2% | | 11bb | 100% | +0.318 | -0.500 | 45.2% | | 12bb | 100% | +0.263 | -0.500 | 44.3% | | 13bb | 100% | +0.207 | -0.500 | 43.3% | | 14bb | 100% | +0.151 | -0.500 | 42.4% | | 15bb | 100% | +0.101 | -0.500 | 41.9% | | 16bb | 100% | +0.059 | -0.500 | 41.0% | | 17bb | 100% | +0.015 | -0.500 | 40.3% | | 18bb | 100% | -0.049 | -0.500 | 39.4% | | 19bb | 100% | -0.078 | -0.500 | 38.9% | | 20bb | 100% | -0.139 | -0.500 | 38.1% | ## When should the big blind call with A3o? A3o calls every time as the big blind up to 16bb. At 16bb its call is worth -0.8141 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 16bb a call breaks even at 46.9% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. At 16.5bb it mixes, so either choice is close to break-even at that stack. At that stack the call is worth -1.0000 big blinds, level with the -1.0000 for folding. Past 16.5bb the chart folds it. A3o as the big blind, by stack: | Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1bb | 100% | +0.117 | -1.000 | 55.8% | | 2bb | 100% | +0.179 | -1.000 | 54.5% | | 3bb | 100% | +0.206 | -1.000 | 53.4% | | 4bb | 100% | +0.233 | -1.000 | 52.9% | | 5bb | 100% | +0.264 | -1.000 | 52.6% | | 6bb | 100% | +0.261 | -1.000 | 52.2% | | 7bb | 100% | +0.273 | -1.000 | 52.0% | | 8bb | 100% | +0.172 | -1.000 | 51.1% | | 9bb | 100% | +0.142 | -1.000 | 50.8% | | 10bb | 100% | +0.109 | -1.000 | 50.5% | | 11bb | 100% | -0.006 | -1.000 | 50.0% | | 12bb | 100% | -0.087 | -1.000 | 49.6% | | 13bb | 100% | -0.243 | -1.000 | 49.1% | | 14bb | 100% | -0.470 | -1.000 | 48.3% | | 15bb | 100% | -0.683 | -1.000 | 47.7% | | 16bb | 100% | -0.814 | -1.000 | 47.5% | | 17bb | 0% | -1.031 | -1.000 | 47.0% | | 18bb | 0% | -1.140 | -1.000 | 46.8% | | 19bb | 0% | -1.372 | -1.000 | 46.4% | | 20bb | 0% | -1.563 | -1.000 | 46.1% | ## What makes A3o different from similar hands? A3o is 12 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 53 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, A3o and A3s both shove at every stack from 1 to 20bb. From the big blind, A3o calls every time only up to 16bb, while A3s calls at every stack from 1 to 20bb. The offsuit version has three times as many combos but gives up the flush equity of its suited twin. ## Where can I check other hands like A3o? The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to A3o in strength have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up A3o 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 16bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/16-bb.md) - [Push or fold with Q8s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/q8s.md) - [Push or fold with K5s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/k5s.md) - [A3o combos and rank](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/a3o.md) - [Push or fold calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/push-fold-calculator.md) ## How were the numbers for A3o 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 A3o a shove at 10bb heads-up?** Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves A3o: shoving is worth +0.370 big blinds and folding -0.500. **Should the big blind call a shove with A3o at 15bb?** Yes. At 15bb calling with A3o is worth -0.683 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart calls. **Does A3o ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?** Not from the small blind: A3o shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 16bb 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 Q8s heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/q8s.md) - [Push or fold with K5s heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/k5s.md)