Push or Call Charts

The charts above provide the optimal strategy for determining when to go all-in (Chart 1) or when to call an all-in (Chart 2) based on your hand and chip depth. Here’s how to read them:

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⬆️ The cells above the diagonal represent suited hands, meaning both cards are of the same suit.

Example: A♦️ K♦️ (Ace and King of diamonds).

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⬇️ The cells below the diagonal represent off-suited hands, meaning the cards are of different suits.

Example: A♦️ K♥️ (Ace of diamonds and King of hearts).

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The numbers in the cells indicate the number of big blinds (in effective stack, see definition below if you're unfamiliar with the term) from which you should take the recommended action:

• Chart 1: The number of big blinds at which you should go all-in (push).‍
• Chart 2: The number of big blinds at which you should call an all-in (call).

This chart tells you which hands to go all-in with based on the size of the effective stack.

<span class="explanation_section">📏 The effective stack in poker is the smaller stack between two players facing off in a hand. This is an important concept because, even if you have a large stack, you can never bet more than what your opponent is able to put in the pot. For example, if you have 20 big blinds and your opponent only has 10, the effective stack is 10 big blinds.</span>

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Let's look at two examples:

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• Pushing AQo at 25 big blinds? Surprising, but logical! Recreational players tend to call too often with dominated hands (like A2o or Q7s), making an all-in much more profitable than a simple min-raise or limp trap.

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• Pushing 67s only from 6 big blinds? Yes! Unlike GTO theory (which recommends pushing from 12bb), recreational players don’t isolate often enough, allowing you to realize your postflop equity. Additionally, their tendency to call too much makes an early all-in with a dominated hand like 67s more risky.

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More details on these exploitative adjustments are provided in our Spin Poker Sciences Charts.

This chart shows you which hands to call with (or fold) when facing an all-in from the small blind (SB) in a heads-up situation.

The key to profitability in this spot? Call less often than GTO theory suggests! Why?

• SB players tend to shove less frequently than they theoretically should, meaning their range is often stronger when they do.
• If you have a technical edge over your opponent, it’s better to avoid coin flips (50/50) or marginal situations. Example: Calling with A4o at 11bb deep is often breakeven (also known as EV0, meaning this action will yield 0 chips on average in the long run) or slightly profitable. It's better to fold and capitalize on future mistakes that will be much more lucrative.