How deep can the small blind shove Q3s?
Q3s shoves every time as the small blind up to 13.5bb. At 13.5bb its shove is worth -0.4940 big blinds against -0.5000 for folding. Past 13.5bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Shove frequency | Shove EV | Fold EV | Equity when called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.020 | -0.500 | 51.0% |
| 2bb | 100% | +0.041 | -0.500 | 51.0% |
| 3bb | 100% | +0.056 | -0.500 | 49.7% |
| 4bb | 100% | +0.032 | -0.500 | 46.2% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.036 | -0.500 | 43.2% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.125 | -0.500 | 41.1% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.209 | -0.500 | 39.4% |
| 8bb | 100% | -0.291 | -0.500 | 38.4% |
| 9bb | 100% | -0.323 | -0.500 | 37.6% |
| 10bb | 100% | -0.369 | -0.500 | 36.9% |
| 11bb | 100% | -0.401 | -0.500 | 36.5% |
| 12bb | 100% | -0.427 | -0.500 | 36.4% |
| 13bb | 100% | -0.475 | -0.500 | 35.7% |
| 14bb | 0% | -0.509 | -0.500 | 35.3% |
| 15bb | 0% | -0.558 | -0.500 | 35.3% |
| 16bb | 0% | -0.559 | -0.500 | 34.9% |
| 17bb | 0% | -0.542 | -0.500 | 35.0% |
| 18bb | 0% | -0.563 | -0.500 | 34.8% |
| 19bb | 0% | -0.587 | -0.500 | 34.4% |
| 20bb | 0% | -0.594 | -0.500 | 34.5% |
When should the big blind call with Q3s?
Q3s calls every time as the big blind up to 7.5bb. At 7.5bb its call is worth -0.9339 big blinds against -1.0000 for folding. At 7.5bb a call breaks even at 43.3% equity, because the big blind has already posted a full blind that folding gives up. Past 7.5bb the chart folds it.
| Stack | Call frequency | Call EV | Fold EV | Equity vs shoves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1bb | 100% | +0.020 | -1.000 | 51.0% |
| 2bb | 100% | -0.035 | -1.000 | 49.1% |
| 3bb | 100% | -0.173 | -1.000 | 47.1% |
| 4bb | 100% | -0.308 | -1.000 | 46.1% |
| 5bb | 100% | -0.443 | -1.000 | 45.6% |
| 6bb | 100% | -0.635 | -1.000 | 44.7% |
| 7bb | 100% | -0.818 | -1.000 | 44.2% |
| 8bb | 0% | -1.060 | -1.000 | 43.4% |
| 9bb | 0% | -1.254 | -1.000 | 43.0% |
| 10bb | 0% | -1.438 | -1.000 | 42.8% |
| 11bb | 0% | -1.774 | -1.000 | 41.9% |
| 12bb | 0% | -1.970 | -1.000 | 41.8% |
| 13bb | 0% | -2.148 | -1.000 | 41.7% |
| 14bb | 0% | -2.402 | -1.000 | 41.4% |
| 15bb | 0% | -2.765 | -1.000 | 40.8% |
| 16bb | 0% | -2.941 | -1.000 | 40.8% |
| 17bb | 0% | -3.223 | -1.000 | 40.5% |
| 18bb | 0% | -3.503 | -1.000 | 40.3% |
| 19bb | 0% | -3.792 | -1.000 | 40.0% |
| 20bb | 0% | -3.967 | -1.000 | 40.1% |
What makes Q3s different from similar hands?
Q3s is 4 combos out of the 1,326 two-card hands and ranks number 82 of the 169 starting-hand classes by equity against a random hand. From the small blind, Q3s shoves cleanly 6bb deeper than Q3o (13.5bb against 7.5bb). From the big blind, Q3s calls cleanly 2bb deeper than Q3o (7.5bb against 5.5bb). 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 Q3s?
The stack pages show the full shove and call charts at each depth, and the hands closest to Q3s in strength, along with Q3o, have pages of their own. The combos page counts the specific hands that make up Q3s and how card removal changes them.
How were the numbers for Q3s computed?
The game has two players, blinds of 0.5 and 1, no ante and one effective stack. Every one of the 169 starting-hand classes is dealt in proportion to the card-compatible pairs of specific hands, and a showdown is settled with the exact equity from our preflop table. Each side keeps answering the other's average strategy until neither can gain, then the borderline hands are solved exactly.
Source: GeorgeLiPoker's own heads-up solver, run on its exact preflop equity table.
Questions
- Is Q3s a shove at 10bb heads-up?
- Yes. At 10bb the small blind shoves Q3s: shoving is worth -0.369 big blinds and folding -0.500.
- Should the big blind call a shove with Q3s at 15bb?
- No. At 15bb calling with Q3s is worth -2.765 big blinds against -1.000 for folding, so the chart folds.
- Why does Q3s 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. Q3s shoves every time only up to 13.5bb.