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Push/fold with short stacks
In the late phase of a tournament your stack shrinks and the game simplifies: shove or fold. Master that zone and you survive to the money.
Below 15 bb poker stops being a game of postflop finesse. It becomes a mathematical game of fold equity, position and, near the money, ICM.
Stack depth sets the mode
| Stack | Mode |
|---|---|
| 15-25 bbTransition zone | Some postflop play is still possible, but open shoves already come into view from late positions and against stealers. |
| 8-15 bbPush/fold | Mostly open shove or fold. Min-raising leaves too little behind and gives your fold equity away. |
| Below 8 bbPure push/fold | Shove or fold. Waiting for a premium hand bleeds your blinds away until your fold equity is gone. |
Fold equity is your weapon
With a short stack you win most pots without a showdown: your opponent folds to your shove. That fold equity is most valuable while your stack is still big enough to hurt (roughly 8 bb or more). Drop below that and people call you lighter, and the advantage evaporates. So you shove early and wide, not once you are desperate.
The later your position and the fewer players still behind you, the wider your shove range. From the button or the small blind you can go all-in far wider than from early position.
ICM on the bubble
Just before the money the mathematics change. Chips you win are worth less than chips you lose, because busting means nothing at all. So you call all-ins tighter than a pure chip-EV (Nash) range, survival carries extra value. At the same time, with a big stack you can pile pressure on the short stacks that dare not call. The ICM calculator in the app works this out for you per situation.
Common mistakes
Limping or min-raising with a short stack
With 10 bb you are committed after a raise anyway. Open shoving uses your biggest weapon, fold equity, in full; limping gives it away for free and lets opponents see cards cheaply.
Shoving too tight
Waiting for aces with 6 bb is fatal: the blinds eat your stack and your fold equity disappears. A wider, position-dependent shove range is mathematically correct.
Ignoring ICM on the bubble
Just before the money, chips are not linear: a knockout costs you your tournament life. Your calling range there has to be far tighter than a pure chip-EV (Nash) range.
Wanting to play postflop with 10 bb
There is simply no depth for postflop play. Decide preflop: shove or fold. Manoeuvring postflop with a short stack is usually an expensive illusion of control.
In short
Below 15 bb: shove or fold, no limps or min-raises. Use your fold equity early and wide, wider from late position. On the bubble you call tighter because of ICM, and with a big stack you apply the pressure instead. Master this zone and you turn more short stacks into deep runs.
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