Chip leader
The biggest stack at the table, which covers everyone and so risks the least in any single all-in.
Last updated
- What it means
- The chip leader can lose any one all-in and still be in the tournament. Every other player risks busting when they play a pot against it.
- How it is calculated
- As the leader, open and shove wider into stacks that must fold to stay alive, and call a little wider. Against the leader, tighten your calls and re-shoves, because it is the player who can bust you.
- Worked example
- At a final table with a 55bb leader, a 14bb big blind facing the leader's shove needs about 59% equity under ICM, against 44% in chips. The leader calling a 22bb re-shove needs only 48%, against 43% in chips.
- Why it matters
- Chip-leader pressure is where ICM is most visible: the same hand is a call for the big stack and a fold for the stack it covers.
Try it: Push/fold calculator
See also: Covering stack, Pay jump, ICM