![\"Push\/Fold](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-charts-for-tournament-play.jpg\")
Playing poker can be satisfying, fun, and challenging, but its true brilliance shines through on competitive playgrounds like tournaments. Most players know this, so there\u2019s an This article discusses one that is both popular and effective \u2014 the push\/fold strategy and charts<\/b>. Read on to learn what push\/fold strategy is and how you can use its charts <\/b>to your benefit.<\/p>\n
Use this link to jump straight to the charts.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n The strategy became popular as poker tournaments\u2019<\/a> structures changed with time. Over the years, tournaments became shorter and more fast-paced, and their blinds level dropped. It became evident that dominating in preflop was the only way to win in this type of structure. The push\/fold strategy emerged as one of the more reliable and successful ways to accomplish this goal.<\/p>\n At first glance, the push\/fold strategy may appear too risky<\/b>. Aggressive actions like going all-in or completely throwing away your hand would leave you with no wiggle room. They seem even more inconvenient in the context of the bubble when the strategy recommends using them. No player wants to be out of the game at the cutoff point and go home with no money.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not all so black and white. Limping or raising in or around the bubble can allow your opponents to pressure you by raising your bet or calling with a weaker hand and then hitting in the flop. The push\/fold strategy\u2019s aggressive play reverses this power dynamic. It can force your opponents to fold out hands with good equity and increase your stack before the flop begins.<\/strong><\/p>\n These programs design hand ranges by measuring each hand\u2019s expected value<\/a> in chips (chip EV) when pushed. <\/b>They assess chip EVs in the form of Big Blinds. For example, if the hand you\u2019re thinking about pushing is above +0.2cEV, going all-in would result in a win most of the time. In other words, winning +0.20cEV every hand would mean you\u2019re winning 20BB per 100 hands in the long run, which is an incredible win rate.<\/p>\n Push\/fold chart calculators<\/b> take numerous factors into account to create ranges for each spot. Some include:<\/p>\n They also account for the percentage of time you\u2019ll get called and then lose or win \u2014 your equity when called \u2014 before making recommendations.<\/p>\n To that end, you can find many types of push\/fold charts<\/b> that address different situations players might face. They\u2019ve even become advanced enough to make calculations for the game theory optimal (GTO)<\/a> strategy and what is known as the Nash equilibrium<\/i> concept.<\/p>\n The following pictures will show 10 and 15BB push\/fold charts<\/b> for UTG (Under the Gun), UTG+1, UTG+2, Lojack, Hijack, Cuttoff, Button, and Small Blind positions at a 9-handed table. Positions with the same ranges are grouped in the same chart.<\/p>\n 10BB UTG and UTG+1<\/b><\/p>\n 10BB UTG+2 and Lojack<\/b><\/p>\n 10BB Hijack<\/b><\/p>\n 10BB Button and Cutoff<\/b><\/p>\n 10BB Small Blind<\/b><\/p>\n An analysis of these charts shows players have greater push all-in opportunities the further their position is along the table<\/b>. Under-the-gun players have to have a reasonably strong range to push and land a win. The main reason for this finding is the number of players you\u2019d push into with a 10BB stack. Naturally, your odds will be much better if you\u2019re pushing into two instead of six players<\/b>.<\/p><\/div>\n Another piece of advice you may find useful has to do with off-suited aces. On the surface, these hands in a 15BB game may seem like a fantastic opportunity to push, no matter your stack depth. However, that\u2019s not the case. The charts below show that the pushes on weak aces in UTG or middle positions are losing bets<\/b>. Hands like J\u2660 T\u2660, for instance, are a much better all-in choice. Equity calculators will confirm the same.<\/p>\n 15BB UTG & UTG+1<\/b><\/p>\n 15BB UTG+2 and Lojack<\/b><\/p>\n 15BB Hijack<\/b><\/p>\n 15BB Button and Cutoff<\/b><\/p>\n 15BB Small Blind<\/b><\/p>\n Note<\/i>: These charts aren\u2019t the only and ultimate guide when it comes to push\/fold poker strategy<\/b>. You may have to rely on different tactics depending on the conditions in the tournament and the game you\u2019re playing.<\/p><\/div>\n As mentioned earlier, many factors influence the outcome of your play in a tournament. The charts account for many, but not all of them. They don\u2019t address two important elements: tournament life value (TLV)<\/b> and your opponents\u2019 tendencies and play style<\/b>. TVL refers to a number of tournament aspects that differ between events, including breaking order, table difficulty, and hourly rate. You may have to make some unconventional changes to your play in connection to them to make the most of the game.<\/p>\n For the sake of better understanding, let\u2019s look at an example. A push\/fold chart may recommend pushing with 22+, A2o+, K2s+, K7o+, Q5s+, Q9o+, J7s+, J9o+, T6s+, T9o+, 96s+, 86s+, 75s+, 65s, and 54s and 12BB on the Button. However, you might profit more if you fold to a jam with a marginal holding or mid-raise<\/b> if you\u2019re facing a straightforward player who doesn\u2019t push without a monster draw.<\/p>\n You might also have more winning opportunities if you\u2019re playing against an opponent who tends to call too tight or fold marginal hands like Q2s or J9o. You should profit from a broader range of hands than the charts suggest in this situation.<\/p>\n Some additional tips for adjusting your play include:<\/p>\n These types of strategy modifications might require more work for beginners<\/b>. They\u2019re also less exploitative when you have under 10BB. You\u2019ll have to give yourself enough time to overcome the learning curve and grow able to assess when to deviate from GTO. Playing more tournaments and practicing as much as possible should do the trick.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/i> What Is the Push\/Fold Strategy?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/images\/icons\/icon-strategy.png\"){kind=icon}
The push\/fold strategy is the advised course of action in preflop poker, where players have two options \u2014 going all-in or folding<\/b> \u2014 with 100% of their hands. It\u2019s commonly used in tournaments, especially in their latter phases, when the stacks become short \u2014 around and below 15BBs.\n<\/i> What Are Push\/Fold Charts?<\/span><\/h2>\nPush\/fold charts<\/b> are tables with mathematically solved hand ranges that should help you play optimal preflop poker<\/b> when you\u2019re short-stacked in a tournament. Their data is based on calculations worked out in complex poker programs like ICMIZER<\/a> and PokerStove.\n
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<\/i> Push\/Fold Ranges and Charts<\/span><\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the push\/fold basics<\/b>, it\u2019s time to look at some of the charts we\u2019ve discussed above.\n
10BB Charts<\/h3>The hands above +0.2cEV are considered slam dunk all-in hands<\/b> and colored bright green. Slightly less advantageous are hands colored light green<\/b>. They bring small profits and are worth risking your stack for in certain situations only. The rest of the hands are colored red, which means you\u2019ll get the best results if you fold in these situations.\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-10bb-utg-and-utg-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-10bb-utg-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-10bb-hijack.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-10bb-button-cutoff.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-10bb-small-blind.jpg\")
<\/p>\n15BB Charts<\/h3>A quick glance at the 15BB push\/fold charts will reveal significant differences in EV when compared to previous 10BB charts. Overall, they advise pushing with slightly deeper stacks \u2014 around 20BB<\/b> and less. You can take more +EV lines if you RFI (Raise First In) with larger stack sizes.\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-15bb-utg-utg-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-15bb-utg-2-lojack.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-15bb-hijack.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-15bb-button-cutoff.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/push-fold-range-chart-15bb-small-blind.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow to Use the Charts to Improve Your Positions?<\/h3>If you\u2019re not new to gambling, you likely know or have used strategy charts like the push\/fold tables we\u2019ve attached above. The best way to optimize your play is to memorize them so you have all the relevant information at your disposal at all times. However, it\u2019s also important to know you shouldn\u2019t rely on them blindly.\n
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<\/i> Best Poker Rooms To Play Online Tournaments<\/span><\/h2>\nMy list of the best poker sites which I consider to be the best rooms to play in 2024:<\/strong>
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