Push/Fold Charts

Free push/fold charts for short stacks

These push/fold charts show ChipEV-optimal short-stack preflop strategy for No-Limit Hold'em in an 8-max structure with a 0.12bb ante. Use them across tournament formats — MTT, SNG, and similar — when effective stacks are roughly 12bb, 10bb, 8bb, or 6bb, where open-shove and call-shove decisions dominate. Switch stack, position, and scenario on the interactive grid above, then study which hands to open, jam, call a shove, or fold.

What is a push/fold chart?

A push/fold chart (also called a shove chart) is a preflop range map for shallow stacks. Instead of deep postflop play, many hands are either folded or committed. This tool covers two core spots: Raise First In (RFI) — you act first and choose open, all-in, call/complete, or fold — and Facing All In — someone has jammed and you decide whether to call. Ranges come from ChipEV solver trees and are rounded to 25% frequency steps for practical study, the same approach as our cash GTO charts.

How to use these push/fold charts

1) Select your stack depth (12 / 10 / 8 / 6bb). 2) Choose the scenario: RFI or Facing All In. 3) Pick your position (EP1–BB). 4) For Facing All In, select the villain’s seat. Hover any hand on the 13×13 grid to see exact frequencies. Combine this with deliberate practice in the push/fold trainer once you know the charts cold.

When should you use push/fold strategy?

Short-stack push/fold shows up in many tournament formats once blinds and antes pressure the stack and pots often end preflop. Around 12–10bb you still see mixes of small opens and jams; at 8–6bb strategy is closer to pure shove-or-fold from early and middle seats. If stacks are deeper (20bb+ with room to play postflop), use deeper tournament ranges or a full solver — this page is built for the short-stack window.

Stack depths and the 0.12bb ante

Chart labels use nominal depth (12bb, 10bb, 8bb, 6bb). In the solver, stack size includes the ante — for example 10.12bb = 10bb + 0.12bb ante — so an all-in commits the chips behind the ante. That is normal for modern tournament structures with a regular ante. Always match the chart to your approximate effective stack versus the players still left to act, not your starting stack from the beginning of the event.

8-max positions explained

These charts are 8-handed. From earliest to latest: EP1, EP2, LJ, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB. Earlier seats shove tighter because more players can wake up behind. Button and blinds play wider. Facing All In from the big blind against an early jam is much tighter than calling a button shove — always set both your seat and the villain’s seat before you trust a call range.

How to read the colors

Red = all-in. Orange = open (or non-all-in raise / complete sizing where shown). Green = call. Gray = fold. Cells with a gradient are mixed strategies — for example 75% shove / 25% open. In practice, randomize or lean toward the higher frequency so your range stays hard to exploit.

Why some hands mix open and shove

At 10–12bb, strong hands like medium pairs or Broadway can be indifferent between a small open and a jam. The solver mixes to protect both lines. Frequencies here are rounded to 0 / 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 so you can memorize and drill them. If you only ever open or only ever shove those hands, regulars can adjust; the mix is the ChipEV baseline.

ChipEV vs ICM: what these charts are (and are not)

These solutions maximize chip EV in an ante tournament structure. They are not full ICM bubble charts. Near the money, pay jumps, or final table ICM pressure, calling and shoving ranges often get tighter (or shift by stack profile). Use this page as your default short-stack map for ChipEV spots, then apply ICM adjustments when payouts dominate. For deeper GTO preflop study software, see our notes on FreeBetRange and poker GTO.

Push/fold charts FAQ

Are these free push/fold charts accurate?

They are derived from ChipEV solver outputs for 8-max with a 0.12bb ante, prepared for training with frequencies rounded to 25% steps. That makes them practical to learn and apply at the table. Exact solver mixes can be finer; rounding is intentional for study.

What stack sizes do these shove charts cover?

Four depths: 12bb, 10bb, 8bb, and 6bb. Pick the closest effective stack to your situation. If you are between depths (for example ~9bb), compare neighboring charts and play closer to the shallower one when antes and blinds are high.

What does Facing All In mean?

Facing All In is the spot where a player has already gone all-in and action is on you. The chart shows which hands to call and which to fold for your seat versus that villain’s seat. RFI is the separate first-in decision (open, jam, or fold before anyone has entered).

Do these charts work for MTT, SNG, Spin & Go, or cash?

They are a ChipEV short-stack baseline for 8-max with ante — useful across many tournament formats (MTT, SNG, and similar) when stack depth and structure are close. Deep cash is different: use the Preflop GTO Charts hub for 100bb 6-max. Extreme Spin & Go ICM can still need its own adjustments on top of this map.

Should I always shove hands marked all-in?

Treat the chart as your default when stacks and positions match. Deviate when you have a clear read (calling stations behind, nits who fold too much, or heavy ICM). Mixed cells are not mistakes — they are hands you should not play 100% one way.

Why EP1 and EP2 instead of UTG?

In 8-max there are two early positions before the lojack. EP1 is first to act; EP2 is next. That labeling matches the 8-handed solver tree used for these charts.

Is this the same as Nash push/fold?

Classic Nash charts are usually heads-up or simplified shove/fold models. These charts come from multiway ChipEV trees with ante and both open and all-in lines where the solver uses them — closer to modern tournament short-stack study than a pure Nash HU table.