How deep can the small blind shove K4s?
K4s 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% | +0.098 | -0.500 | 54.9% |
| 2bb | 100% | +0.195 | -0.500 | 54.9% |
| 3bb | 100% | +0.295 | -0.500 | 53.9% |
| 4bb | 100% | +0.320 | -0.500 | 51.0% |
| 5bb | 100% | +0.308 | -0.500 | 48.8% |
| 6bb | 100% | +0.261 | -0.500 | 46.8% |
| 7bb | 100% | +0.190 | -0.500 | 45.0% |
| 8bb | 100% | +0.116 | -0.500 | 43.6% |
| 9bb | 100% | +0.041 | -0.500 | 42.0% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.038 | -0.500 | 40.8% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.090 | -0.500 | 40.1% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.159 | -0.500 | 39.3% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.207 | -0.500 | 38.6% |
| 14bb | 100% | -0.250 | -0.500 | 38.2% |
| 15bb | 100% | -0.307 | -0.500 | 37.9% |
| 16bb | 100% | -0.344 | -0.500 | 37.1% |
| 17bb | 100% | -0.359 | -0.500 | 36.6% |
| 18bb | 100% | -0.373 | -0.500 | 36.6% |
| 19bb | 100% | -0.370 | -0.500 | 36.6% |
| 20bb | 100% | -0.452 | -0.500 | 35.7% |
When should the big blind call with K4s?
K4s calls every time as the big blind up to 12bb. At 12bb its call is worth -0.9148 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 12bb a call breaks even at 45.8% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 12bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.098 | -1.000 | 54.9% |
| 2bb | 100% | +0.140 | -1.000 | 53.5% |
| 3bb | 100% | +0.104 | -1.000 | 51.7% |
| 4bb | 100% | +0.079 | -1.000 | 51.0% |
| 5bb | 100% | +0.059 | -1.000 | 50.6% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.016 | -1.000 | 49.9% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.074 | -1.000 | 49.5% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.275 | -1.000 | 48.3% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.398 | -1.000 | 47.8% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.515 | -1.000 | 47.4% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.789 | -1.000 | 46.4% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.915 | -1.000 | 46.2% |
| 13bb | 0% | -1.090 | -1.000 | 45.8% |
| 14bb | 0% | -1.420 | -1.000 | 44.9% |
| 15bb | 0% | -1.706 | -1.000 | 44.3% |
| 16bb | 0% | -1.810 | -1.000 | 44.3% |
| 17bb | 0% | -2.040 | -1.000 | 44.0% |
| 18bb | 0% | -2.236 | -1.000 | 43.8% |
| 19bb | 0% | -2.398 | -1.000 | 43.7% |
| 20bb | 0% | -2.575 | -1.000 | 43.6% |
What makes K4s different from similar hands?
K4s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 60 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, K4s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb, while K4o shoves every time only up to 13bb. From the big blind, K4s calls cleanly 3bb deeper than K4o (12bb against 9bb). 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 K4s?
The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to K4s in strength, along with K4o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up K4s and how card removal changes them.
How were the numbers for K4s 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 K4s a shove at 10bb heads-up?
- Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves K4s: shoving is worth -0.038 big blinds and folding -0.500.
- Should the big blind call a shove with K4s at 15bb?
- No. At 15bb calling with K4s is worth -1.706 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.
- Does K4s ever fold heads-up at 20bb or less?
- Not from the small blind: K4s shoves at every stack from 1 to 20bb. As the big blind it calls cleanly up to 12bb and folds or mixes deeper.