How wide should the big blind call a shove?
When a short stack moves all-in and everyone folds to you in the big blind, you already have a big blind (and the ante) in the pot, so you get a good price. But the shover chose their hand, so you need a better hand than theirs on average. The right calling range depends mostly on who shoved and how many big blinds they have.
Share of hands the big blind calls with (9-handed, big blind ante)
| Shover | 5bb | 10bb | 15bb | 20bb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTG | 75% | 16% | 8% | 6% |
| Middle position | 75% | 19% | 10% | 7% |
| Hijack | 76% | 24% | 14% | 9% |
| Cutoff | 77% | 28% | 18% | 13% |
| Button | 79% | 35% | 25% | 18% |
| Small blind | 83% | 54% | 41% | 33% |
Exact big blind calling ranges (big blind ante)
- vs button shove at 10bb (35%): 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q8s+, J9s+, T9s, A2o+, K7o+, Q9o+, JTo
- vs small blind shove at 10bb (54%): 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J4s+, T6s+, 97s+, 87s, A2o+, K2o+, Q4o+, J7o+, T8o+
- vs cutoff shove at 10bb (28%): 22+, A2s+, K7s+, Q9s+, JTs, A2o+, K9o+, QJo
- vs button shove at 15bb (25%): 22+, A2s+, K9s+, QTs+, JTs, A3o+, KTo+, QJo
- vs small blind shove at 15bb (41%): 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q6s+, J8s+, T8s+, A2o+, K4o+, Q8o+, J9o+
Want to check a calling spot from another seat, like the small blind facing a button shove? Choose Call a shove in the chart above and pick both seats.
How these ranges were calculated
Nash equilibrium ranges in chip EV with equal stacks, assuming players behind the caller fold. See how we calculate for the full method.
More push/fold charts: all stacks and seats · by stack: 5bb, 8bb, 10bb, 12bb, 15bb, 20bb · by seat: button, cutoff, small blind, UTG · 6-max · heads-up · big blind calling ranges.