A push/fold chart tells you which hands to move all-in with, and which to fold, when you are short-stacked in a tournament. The chart does the hard maths for you, but only if you read it correctly. This guide explains the grid, the settings that change the answer, the range notation and the common mistakes, with a worked example from our own chart.
The 13 x 13 grid
Almost every push/fold chart uses the same layout: a grid of 13 rows and 13 columns, one for each rank from ace down to two. That gives 169 cells, one for each distinct starting hand.
- Pocket pairs run along the diagonal, from AA in one corner to 22 in the other.
- Suited hands sit on one side of the diagonal, such as A5s or KTs.
- Offsuit hands sit on the other side, such as A8o or KQo.
Most charts put suited hands above the diagonal and offsuit hands below it, but check the labels on the chart you use. Mixing up K9s and K9o is one of the easiest ways to make a bad shove.
Why the cells are not equal
Each cell stands for a different number of card combinations:
| Hand type | Cells | Combos per cell | Total combos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket pairs | 13 | 6 | 78 |
| Suited hands | 78 | 4 | 312 |
| Offsuit hands | 78 | 12 | 936 |
| All hands | 169 | 1,326 |
That is why a range percentage is not the same as the share of cells that are colored in. In our 9-handed, 10 big blind chart with a big blind ante, the UTG shoving range is 32 cells but 208 combos, or 16% of all hands. The button range is 87 cells and 582 combos, or 44%. Offsuit hands carry three times the weight of suited ones, so adding a single offsuit cell widens a range much more than adding a suited one.
The settings that change the answer
A push/fold chart is not one chart but many. Before you read a single cell, make sure these settings match your spot:
- Effective stack. This is the smaller of your stack and the stack of the player who could call, in big blinds. If you have 30 big blinds but the big blind has 9, use 9. See effective stack for more.
- Your seat. The fewer players left to act behind you, the wider you can shove. At 10bb with an ante, the small blind shoves 72% of hands and UTG only 16%.
- Antes. With a big blind ante there are 2.5 big blinds in the pot before anyone acts, so stealing is worth more. On our chart, K9o is a button shove up to 8.5bb without an ante, and up to 16.5bb with one.
- Table size. 9-handed, 6-handed and heads-up ranges are different, because the number of players behind you changes.
- Shoving or calling. Shoving ranges and calling ranges are separate charts. Calling ranges are tighter, because the caller cannot win by making the other player fold. At 10bb with an ante, the big blind calls a button shove with about 35% of hands, while the button shoves 44%.
Reading range notation
Many charts also list each range as text. The plus sign means "and better, up to the next rank":
- 22+ means every pocket pair.
- A5s+ means A5s, A6s, A7s and so on up to AKs.
- A8o+ means A8o, A9o, ATo, AJo, AQo and AKo.
- K5o+ means K5o up to KQo.
So the UTG range of 33+, A5s+, KTs+, QJs, A8o+, KQo reads as: every pair except deuces, suited aces from A5s up, KTs and better suited kings, QJs, offsuit aces from A8o up, and KQo.
A worked example
You are 9-handed with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante. You have 20,000 chips, and every player still to act has more than you. Your effective stack is 20,000 divided by 2,000, or 10 big blinds. You hold K9o and everyone folds to you. Here is what our 10bb chart says from three seats:
| Your seat | Kings in the shoving range | K9o |
|---|---|---|
| Hijack | K9s+, KTo+ | Fold |
| Cutoff | K5s+, K9o+ | Shove |
| Button | K2s+, K5o+ | Shove |
The same hand is a fold one seat earlier, because one more player is left to wake up with a better hand.
Why shoving wide works
The chart's shoves only make sense once you count the times everyone folds. In the example, you risk 10 big blinds to win the 2.5 already in the pot. A pure bluff that always lost when called would need folds 80% of the time. Your hand still has equity when you are called, which is why many weak-looking hands become profitable shoves. Our push/fold strategy guide covers the thinking in more depth.
Common mistakes when reading a chart
- Using your own stack instead of the effective stack.
- Using a no-ante chart in an ante tournament, which makes your ranges far too tight.
- Using a shoving chart to decide a call. Use a calling chart such as the big blind calling range chart.
- Ignoring the money. Most charts are chip EV. Near the bubble or at a final table, shove and especially call tighter. See ICM explained.
- Ignoring your opponents. Against players who fold too much, shove wider; against players who call too much, shove tighter.
Practice, then check your results
Open the free push/fold chart, set it to your usual format and start with the spots you see most, such as the button and small blind at 10bb. The built-in trainer drills the rest. Then log your tournaments in the free PokerTracking tracker to see whether your short-stack play is showing up in your ROI over time.