How deep can the small blind shove J5s?
J5s shoves every time as the small blind up to 14.5bb. At 14.5bb its shove is worth -0.4771 big blinds against -0.5000 for folding. Between 15bb and 15.5bb it mixes, so either choice is close to break-even there. At 15bb the shove is worth -0.5041 big blinds against -0.5000 for folding. Past 15.5bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | -0.000 | -0.500 | 50.0% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.001 | -0.500 | 50.0% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.001 | -0.500 | 48.5% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.084 | -0.500 | 44.1% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.188 | -0.500 | 40.9% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.259 | -0.500 | 39.2% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.312 | -0.500 | 38.1% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.348 | -0.500 | 37.8% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.379 | -0.500 | 36.9% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.398 | -0.500 | 36.5% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.409 | -0.500 | 36.6% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.440 | -0.500 | 36.2% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.447 | -0.500 | 36.2% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.458 | -0.500 | 36.1% |
| 15bb | 0% | -0.504 | -0.500 | 36.1% |
| 16bb | 0% | -0.506 | -0.500 | 35.6% |
| 17bb | 0% | -0.513 | -0.500 | 35.1% |
| 18bb | 0% | -0.531 | -0.500 | 35.0% |
| 19bb | 0% | -0.550 | -0.500 | 34.7% |
| 20bb | 0% | -0.552 | -0.500 | 34.8% |
When should the big blind call with J5s?
J5s calls every time as the big blind up to 6.5bb. At 6.5bb its call is worth -0.9248 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 6.5bb a call breaks even at 42.3% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 6.5bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | -0.000 | -1.000 | 50.0% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.083 | -1.000 | 47.9% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.282 | -1.000 | 45.3% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.477 | -1.000 | 44.0% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.653 | -1.000 | 43.5% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.868 | -1.000 | 42.8% |
| 7bb | 0% | -1.033 | -1.000 | 42.6% |
| 8bb | 0% | -1.288 | -1.000 | 41.9% |
| 9bb | 0% | -1.409 | -1.000 | 42.2% |
| 10bb | 0% | -1.602 | -1.000 | 42.0% |
| 11bb | 0% | -1.970 | -1.000 | 41.0% |
| 12bb | 0% | -2.201 | -1.000 | 40.8% |
| 13bb | 0% | -2.432 | -1.000 | 40.6% |
| 14bb | 0% | -2.681 | -1.000 | 40.4% |
| 15bb | 0% | -2.990 | -1.000 | 40.0% |
| 16bb | 0% | -3.192 | -1.000 | 40.0% |
| 17bb | 0% | -3.504 | -1.000 | 39.7% |
| 18bb | 0% | -3.802 | -1.000 | 39.4% |
| 19bb | 0% | -4.093 | -1.000 | 39.2% |
| 20bb | 0% | -4.321 | -1.000 | 39.2% |
What makes J5s different from similar hands?
J5s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 90 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, J5s shoves cleanly 8.5bb deeper than J5o (14.5bb against 6bb). From the big blind, J5s calls cleanly 1.5bb deeper than J5o (6.5bb against 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 J5s?
The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to J5s in strength, along with J5o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up J5s and how card removal changes them.
How were the numbers for J5s 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 J5s a shove at 10bb heads-up?
- Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves J5s: shoving is worth -0.398 big blinds and folding -0.500.
- Should the big blind call a shove with J5s at 15bb?
- No. At 15bb calling with J5s is worth -2.990 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.
- Why does J5s 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. J5s shoves every time only up to 14.5bb.