Push/fold
A short-stack strategy where every hand either goes all-in or folds.
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- What it means
- At around 15bb or less, raising small and folding to a re-raise wastes too much of your stack. The simple, near-optimal strategy is to shove or fold.
- How it is calculated
- Solve a game where the first player can only push or fold and the next can only call or fold, then read off each hand's best action.
- Worked example
- Heads-up at 10bb with no ante, the small blind pushes about 58% of hands and the big blind calls about 37%.
- Why it matters
- Push/fold spots are common in tournaments, and they are exactly solvable, so every one is graded by EV loss rather than by frequency.
Try it: Push/fold calculator, Poker math, Push/fold solver
Formula and worked example: Push or fold in poker math
Used in: Push/fold charts
Lessons that teach it: Shove or fold: compare two prices · lessons other than the free one need an invite
See also: Nash equilibrium, Stack depth, chipEV