Push/Fold Chart
With a short stack, which hands should you push all in? Heads-up Nash equilibrium ranges for short-stack tournament play. Drag the stack-size slider to see how the optimal range tightens as you have more chips.
Example filled in: 10 big blinds, pushing from the small blind. Change anything.
Step 1: How many big blinds do you have?
The smaller of the two stacks, in big blinds: the most either player can lose. A short stack is about 20 or fewer.
Step 2: Are you pushing, or facing a push?
Heads-up: the small blind acts first and can all in or fold; the big blind then calls or folds.
At 10 big blinds the small blind pushes 113 of the 169 hands, 58.4% of the hands you are dealt, and folds the rest.
AA, push | AKs, push | AQs, push | AJs, push | ATs, push | A9s, push | A8s, push | A7s, push | A6s, push | A5s, push | A4s, push | A3s, push | A2s, push |
AKo, push | KK, push | KQs, push | KJs, push | KTs, push | K9s, push | K8s, push | K7s, push | K6s, push | K5s, push | K4s, push | K3s, push | K2s, push |
AQo, push | KQo, push | QQ, push | QJs, push | QTs, push | Q9s, push | Q8s, push | Q7s, push | Q6s, push | Q5s, push | Q4s, push | Q3s, push | Q2s, push |
AJo, push | KJo, push | QJo, push | JJ, push | JTs, push | J9s, push | J8s, push | J7s, push | J6s, push | J5s, push | J4s, push | J3s, push | J2s, fold |
ATo, push | KTo, push | QTo, push | JTo, push | TT, push | T9s, push | T8s, push | T7s, push | T6s, push | T5s, push | T4s, push | T3s, fold | T2s, fold |
A9o, push | K9o, push | Q9o, push | J9o, push | T9o, push | 99, push | 98s, push | 97s, push | 96s, push | 95s, push | 94s, fold | 93s, fold | 92s, fold |
A8o, push | K8o, push | Q8o, push | J8o, push | T8o, push | 98o, push | 88, push | 87s, push | 86s, push | 85s, push | 84s, push | 83s, fold | 82s, fold |
A7o, push | K7o, push | Q7o, push | J7o, fold | T7o, fold | 97o, push | 87o, push | 77, push | 76s, push | 75s, push | 74s, push | 73s, fold | 72s, fold |
A6o, push | K6o, push | Q6o, fold | J6o, fold | T6o, fold | 96o, fold | 86o, fold | 76o, push | 66, push | 65s, push | 64s, push | 63s, fold | 62s, fold |
A5o, push | K5o, push | Q5o, fold | J5o, fold | T5o, fold | 95o, fold | 85o, fold | 75o, fold | 65o, fold | 55, push | 54s, push | 53s, push | 52s, fold |
A4o, push | K4o, push | Q4o, fold | J4o, fold | T4o, fold | 94o, fold | 84o, fold | 74o, fold | 64o, fold | 54o, fold | 44, push | 43s, push | 42s, fold |
A3o, push | K3o, push | Q3o, fold | J3o, fold | T3o, fold | 93o, fold | 83o, fold | 73o, fold | 63o, fold | 53o, fold | 43o, fold | 33, push | 32s, fold |
A2o, push | K2o, push | Q2o, fold | J2o, fold | T2o, fold | 92o, fold | 82o, fold | 72o, fold | 62o, fold | 52o, fold | 42o, fold | 32o, fold | 22, push |
- Push all in
- Fold
Model · heads-up Nash, solved from 851,760,000 all-in trials; no hand gains more than 0.01 bb by switching
Why
With 10 big blinds, a push puts in 9.5 more to win the 1.5 in the blinds. The big blind calls with 37.3% of hands and folds the other 62.7%, so most pushes take the blinds without a showdown. A push wins two ways, when they fold and at the showdown, so it does not need a hand that is ahead. A call wins only at the showdown, which is why the push chart (58.4%) is wider than the call chart.
Each square is a starting hand. The ranges are a equilibrium: neither player can do better by changing their own chart.
How these ranges are made
Solved, not copied: the all-in equity of every pair of the 169 starting hands (851,760,000 Monte Carlo trials), then both players best-respond to each other until neither gains by changing. Model: heads-up, equal stacks, SB 0.5 / BB 1, no ante, shove-or-fold vs call-or-fold. Real tournaments add antes, which widen shoving, and ICM, which tightens calling near the money.
Heads-up equilibrium ranges solved here from 852 million all-in trials: equal stacks, no ante, shove-or-fold against call-or-fold. Exact for that game to within a hundredth of a big blind through 20bb; a reference floor beyond it. Real Nash thresholds vary slightly by exact stack and antes; treat this as a study aid, not a substitute for a true short-stack solver. Multi-way ICM situations require a different adjustment: use the ICM calculator for those.
Shares count combinations out of 1,326, not squares out of 169: a pair is 6 combos, a suited hand 4, an offsuit hand 12.
When to use this chart
- SnG endgame when stacks fall below 20 BB
- MTT late stages and final tables
- Heads-up play once antes are kicking in
- Spin & Go / hyper-turbo formats
Reading it
- Push range: what SB should shove all-in with, folding everything else
- Call range: what BB should call a shove with, folding everything else
- The grid: pairs on the diagonal, suited above, offsuit below
- BB call range is tighter than SB push range at 10 bb (37.3% against 58.4%): they need real equity
Complete push/fold poker guide
The chart above is the answer. This section is the why, and the adjustments that turn a robotic chart-follower into a profitable short-stack player.
What is push/fold poker?
Push/fold is a binary preflop strategy used when stacks are short enough that any preflop raise effectively commits you to the pot. Instead of opening to 2.5x or 3x and getting in awkward postflop spots, you simplify: either go all-in (push) or fold. There's no calling, no min-raising, no flatting. That's it.
Why does this exist? Two reasons:
- → Pot odds destroy postflop play. When you raise 2x your stack, the pot is already 5+ blinds; calling a 3-bet means you're committed. So skip the dance and shove pre.
- → Math is solvable. Heads-up push/fold has a known mathematical solution (Nash equilibrium). Once you have a chart, you can play optimally without thinking: your opponent has no exploit.
Push/fold is the foundation of late-tournament play. SnG bubbles, MTT short stacks and hyper-turbo formats all collapse to push/fold once stacks drop below ~20 big blinds.
Nash equilibrium in 60 seconds
A Nash equilibrium is a strategy pair where neither player can improve their result by changing strategy unilaterally. In push/fold, both players know the optimal strategy AND know that their opponent knows. Despite this, there's no exploit available: both sides have equilibrium ranges that maximize EV given the other's range.
The practical implication: following the Nash chart guarantees you're not being exploited. You might leave EV on the table against bad opponents who deviate from optimal, but you can never be losing money to someone playing the chart against you.
The chart adjusts to stack size because the math changes. At 1bb stacks, you push almost any two cards because the ante alone makes pushing profitable. At 25bb, you push only premiums because losing matters more than the small dead money in the pot. The slider above shows this dynamic.
Stack brackets & how to think about each
1-3 BB: Any-Two-Cards Territory
With 1-3 big blinds, you're at the wall. Push almost any two cards from SB: at 1bb the solve shoves all 169 hands and the big blind calls all 169, because the blinds already are the stack and there is nothing left to protect. By 3bb the shove range is 78% of hands against a 92% call.
BB faces the same desperation: call wide. You're getting massive pot odds. Folding A-rag to a SB shove is a real mistake here. Note that every ace is in the calling range well past the depth where most players start folding them.
4-6 BB: Push Wide, Call Sharp
SB push range is 68-74% of hands here. You're still pushing wide because fold equity is high. BB calling is 54-73%: wider than most players defend, and the reason shoving this wide still is not free.
7-12 BB: The Bread & Butter Zone
This is where most short-stack tournament play happens. SB push range is 54-67% of hands; BB calling is 33-49%. You're looking for hands with showdown value (pairs, aces of any kicker, broadway combinations) and folding the bottom of your range. Weak offsuit aces belong in the shove, and not because they are ahead when called: at 10bb A2o beats only 32 of the 69 hands that call it. It shoves because the big blind folds most of the time, and the blinds you pick up when it does outweigh the times you are called and behind.
Memorize the chart for 8-10 BB: that's the most common stack size when you're forced into shove/fold mode.
13-20 BB: Push/Fold + Min-Raise Mix
At this depth, pure push/fold becomes too tight. Top players add min-raises (2x BB) with their value range and shoves with marginal hands that don't play well postflop. The chart still works as a baseline (anything in the "push" range can be shoved profitably), but you're leaving EV on the table by not mixing in raises.
21+ BB: Beyond Push/Fold
You're no longer in push/fold territory. Standard preflop strategy with raises, 3-bets, and postflop play. The chart still shows the floor of what can be shoved profitably at this depth (33-39% of hands), but it is a reference point rather than a strategy. It is also the least precise end of the solve: shoving 25bb to win 1bb of dead money leaves a threshold hand with an edge of about a hundredth of a big blind, which is finer than the equity measurement behind it.
Real-world adjustments
Antes
When antes are in play (typical in late MTT levels and most online tournaments), the dead money in the pot is larger, so push ranges should widen by ~15-25%. Charts assume no antes by default. If antes are 12.5%+ of the BB, add hands like J7s, 64s, 22, T9o to your push range.
ICM (tournament money pressure)
When you're close to the money or pay-jumps, the chip value and the dollar value diverge. In ICM-heavy spots (bubbles, final tables), call ranges tighten significantly because the cost of busting is much higher than the chips you stand to win.
For ICM-aware play, use our ICM calculator to see chip-to-dollar conversion. Rule of thumb: in tough ICM spots, fold the bottom 5-10% of the chart's call range.
Position vs more than the BB
The chart is heads-up SB vs BB. Multi-way push/fold (BTN vs SB vs BB, or earlier positions) requires tighter ranges because two opponents can call instead of one. As a baseline: tighten the push range by 30-40% if you're shoving from earlier than SB with multiple players still to act.
Reads on opponent
Nash optimal protects you from being exploited but doesn't exploit. Against:
- → Tight callers (folding more than Nash): push wider. Their reluctance to call gives you free EV from blind steals.
- → Loose callers (calling more than Nash): push tighter and value-shove more. They'll pay you off.
Common mistakes
- 1. Min-raising at 5-10 BB. When you have 5-10 BB and min-raise, you're committed to the pot postflop. You can't fold to a re-shove without disaster. Just shove or fold pre.
- 2. Folding the BB too tight. When SB shoves, the pot is already big and you're getting great pot odds (typically 1.5-2:1). Folding A8o to a 9bb shove is a real mistake at most stack depths: you're giving up too much equity.
- 3. Calling instead of pushing. If you're short-stacked, raising or calling is rarely correct. Push or fold: the chart works for a reason. "Limping" with a short stack (rare in modern play) telegraphs weakness.
FAQ
What exactly is this an equilibrium of?
Heads-up, both players on the same stack, small blind 0.5 and big blind 1, no ante, and the only choices are shove or fold and then call or fold. That is the standard push/fold abstraction and the ranges are exact for it. Real tournaments add antes, which widen shoving; ICM, which tightens calling near the money; and the option to min-raise instead of shoving above about 12bb. For bubble play with real money on it, a solver that models ICM (ICMIzer or HoldemResources) is the right tool, and this chart is the unexploitable baseline underneath it.
When should I start using push/fold?
When effective stack drops below ~20 big blinds. Below 15bb, push/fold is mandatory for SB and often for BTN as well. Below 10bb it's the only profitable preflop strategy heads-up.
Where do these ranges come from?
We solved them. First the all-in equity of every one of the 169 starting-hand classes against every other, heads-up over five board cards: 852 million dealt hands in total. Then both players best-respond to each other repeatedly until neither can gain by changing: the small blind picks the shoves that beat folding against the big blind's calls, the big blind picks the calls that beat folding against those shoves, and so on until it settles. That is an equilibrium rather than a copy of someone else's chart.
What's the difference between push range and call range?
Push range is what SB should shove all-in with (folding everything else). Call range is what BB should call a shove with (folding everything else). The call range is always TIGHTER than the push range because BB needs real equity to overcome the cost of calling. They're never bluffing.
Can I use this for cash games?
Generally no: cash games are deep-stacked (100bb+), so push/fold doesn't apply. The exception is heads-up cash where blind size relative to stack can become large after a few losses. Use it primarily for SnGs, MTT short-stack play, and heads-up tournaments.
What about Spin & Go format?
Spin & Go (and hyper-turbo SnGs) collapse to push/fold within 5-10 hands because starting stacks are 25bb and blinds escalate fast. The chart applies directly. Most winning Spin & Go players have the chart memorized for 6-10bb depth.
Do I really fold AK at 25bb?
No. At 25bb, AK is a clear push (often a 3-bet shove vs an open). The chart is a 1-30bb spectrum showing how the range tightens. AK is in the push range across the entire chart. The 'fold AK' situation never happens at any depth.
Related
Prefer paper? Download the printable push/fold chart (PDF): Nash shove grids at 5–15bb, free, A4.
Related tools
Orbits your stack can survive, the zone it falls in, and M in big blinds.
The ICM risk premium: how much equity a call needs against each opponent.
Opening ranges by seat, from under the gun to the big blind.
One hand, worked through.
Occasional strategy emails: one interesting hand, broken down with equity and range against range. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Unlimited AI hand reviews and every cheatsheet: PRO from $9/mo