--- title: "Push or fold with J8s heads-up" url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j8s.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j8s" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "J8s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 10.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack." related: ["https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold.md", "https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t9s.md"] --- # Push or fold with J8s heads-up J8s shoves from the small blind at every stack up to 20bb and calls from the big blind up to 10.5bb heads-up. Exact EV at each stack. As the small blind in heads-up play, J8s shoves at every stack up to 20bb, while as the big blind it calls at every stack up to 10.5bb and folds deeper. The game is chips only, blinds 0.5 and 1. - Shoves every time up to: 20bb - Calls every time up to: 10.5bb - Rank of 169: 65 - Combos: 4 ## How deep can the small blind shove J8s? J8s 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. J8s as the small blind, by stack: | Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1bb | 100% | +0.080 | -0.500 | 54.0% | | 2bb | 100% | +0.161 | -0.500 | 54.0% | | 3bb | 100% | +0.226 | -0.500 | 52.7% | | 4bb | 100% | +0.204 | -0.500 | 48.9% | | 5bb | 100% | +0.109 | -0.500 | 45.5% | | 6bb | 100% | +0.032 | -0.500 | 43.4% | | 7bb | 100% | -0.065 | -0.500 | 41.5% | | 8bb | 100% | -0.116 | -0.500 | 40.8% | | 9bb | 100% | -0.160 | -0.500 | 39.7% | | 10bb | 100% | -0.163 | -0.500 | 39.6% | | 11bb | 100% | -0.192 | -0.500 | 39.2% | | 12bb | 100% | -0.218 | -0.500 | 38.9% | | 13bb | 100% | -0.221 | -0.500 | 38.8% | | 14bb | 100% | -0.214 | -0.500 | 39.0% | | 15bb | 100% | -0.247 | -0.500 | 39.0% | | 16bb | 100% | -0.250 | -0.500 | 38.5% | | 17bb | 100% | -0.256 | -0.500 | 38.1% | | 18bb | 100% | -0.260 | -0.500 | 38.1% | | 19bb | 100% | -0.275 | -0.500 | 37.8% | | 20bb | 100% | -0.266 | -0.500 | 38.1% | ## When should the big blind call with J8s? J8s calls every time as the big blind up to 10.5bb. At 10.5bb its call is worth -0.9261 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 10.5bb a call breaks even at 45.2% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 10.5bb the chart folds it. J8s as the big blind, by stack: | Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1bb | 100% | +0.080 | -1.000 | 54.0% | | 2bb | 100% | +0.088 | -1.000 | 52.2% | | 3bb | 100% | -0.007 | -1.000 | 49.9% | | 4bb | 100% | -0.094 | -1.000 | 48.8% | | 5bb | 100% | -0.177 | -1.000 | 48.2% | | 6bb | 100% | -0.313 | -1.000 | 47.4% | | 7bb | 100% | -0.440 | -1.000 | 46.9% | | 8bb | 100% | -0.598 | -1.000 | 46.3% | | 9bb | 100% | -0.718 | -1.000 | 46.0% | | 10bb | 100% | -0.848 | -1.000 | 45.8% | | 11bb | 0% | -1.165 | -1.000 | 44.7% | | 12bb | 0% | -1.314 | -1.000 | 44.5% | | 13bb | 0% | -1.467 | -1.000 | 44.4% | | 14bb | 0% | -1.612 | -1.000 | 44.2% | | 15bb | 0% | -1.951 | -1.000 | 43.5% | | 16bb | 0% | -2.098 | -1.000 | 43.4% | | 17bb | 0% | -2.364 | -1.000 | 43.0% | | 18bb | 0% | -2.624 | -1.000 | 42.7% | | 19bb | 0% | -2.801 | -1.000 | 42.6% | | 20bb | 0% | -2.955 | -1.000 | 42.6% | ## What makes J8s different from similar hands? J8s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 65 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, J8s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb, while J8o shoves every time only up to 12bb. From the big blind, J8s calls cleanly 3bb deeper than J8o (10.5bb against 7.5bb). 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 J8s? The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to J8s in strength, along with J8o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up J8s 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 10bb](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/10-bb.md) - [Push or fold with J8o](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/j8o.md) - [Push or fold with T9s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t9s.md) - [Push or fold with Q6s](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/q6s.md) - [J8s combos and rank](https://georgelipoker.com/combos/j8s.md) - [Push or fold calculator](https://georgelipoker.com/tools/push-fold-calculator.md) ## How were the numbers for J8s 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 J8s a shove at 10bb heads-up?** Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves J8s: shoving is worth -0.163 big blinds and folding -0.500. **Should the big blind call a shove with J8s at 15bb?** No. At 15bb calling with J8s is worth -1.951 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds. **Does J8s ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?** Not from the small blind: J8s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 10.5bb 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 T9s heads-up](https://georgelipoker.com/push-fold/heads-up/hand/t9s.md)