Push or fold with J3s heads-up

The solved heads-up answer for J3s: out of the small blind it shoves at every stack up to 10.5bb and folds deeper, and out of the big blind it calls at every stack up to 5.5bb and folds deeper. No ante, no prize pool.

  • 10.5bbShoves every time up to
  • 5.5bbCalls every time up to
  • 97Rank of 169
  • 4Combos

How deep can the small blind shove J3s?

J3s shoves every time as the small blind up to 10.5bb. At 10.5bb its shove is worth -0.4970 big blinds against -0.5000 for folding. Past 10.5bb the chart folds it.

J3s as the small blind, by stack
StackShove frequencyShove EVFold EVEquity when called
1bb100%-0.035-0.50048.2%
2bb100%-0.071-0.50048.2%
3bb100%-0.111-0.50046.7%
4bb100%-0.189-0.50042.5%
5bb100%-0.278-0.50039.6%
6bb100%-0.337-0.50038.1%
7bb100%-0.393-0.50036.9%
8bb100%-0.436-0.50036.6%
9bb100%-0.460-0.50035.9%
10bb100%-0.478-0.50035.6%
11bb0%-0.504-0.50035.4%
12bb0%-0.537-0.50035.1%
13bb0%-0.547-0.50035.0%
14bb0%-0.566-0.50034.8%
15bb0%-0.619-0.50034.7%
16bb0%-0.624-0.50034.2%
17bb0%-0.610-0.50034.2%
18bb0%-0.632-0.50034.0%
19bb0%-0.642-0.50033.8%
20bb0%-0.646-0.50034.0%

When should the big blind call with J3s?

J3s calls every time as the big blind up to 5.5bb. At 5.5bb its call is worth -0.9173 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.

J3s as the big blind, by stack
StackCall frequencyCall EVFold EVEquity vs shoves
1bb100%-0.035-1.00048.2%
2bb100%-0.158-1.00046.1%
3bb100%-0.385-1.00043.6%
4bb100%-0.606-1.00042.4%
5bb100%-0.810-1.00041.9%
6bb0%-1.038-1.00041.4%
7bb0%-1.231-1.00041.2%
8bb0%-1.486-1.00040.7%
9bb0%-1.655-1.00040.8%
10bb0%-1.885-1.00040.6%
11bb0%-2.276-1.00039.7%
12bb0%-2.533-1.00039.4%
13bb0%-2.741-1.00039.5%
14bb0%-2.972-1.00039.4%
15bb0%-3.337-1.00038.9%
16bb0%-3.570-1.00038.8%
17bb0%-3.901-1.00038.5%
18bb0%-4.225-1.00038.3%
19bb0%-4.537-1.00038.1%
20bb0%-4.762-1.00038.1%

What makes J3s different from similar hands?

J3s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 97 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, J3s shoves cleanly 5.5bb deeper than J3o (10.5bb against 5bb). From the big blind, J3s calls cleanly 1.5bb deeper than J3o (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 J3s?

The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to J3s in strength, along with J3o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up J3s and how card removal changes them.

How were the numbers for J3s 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 J3s a shove at 10bb heads-up?
Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves J3s: shoving is worth -0.478 big blinds and folding -0.500.
Should the big blind call a shove with J3s at 15bb?
No. At 15bb calling with J3s is worth -3.337 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.
Why does J3s 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. J3s shoves every time only up to 10.5bb.