Push Fold Chart for Poker Tournaments (2026)
Quick answer: Use push/fold as your default at about 8-10 big blinds, tighten in early position, and widen sharply on the button and small blind. At 12-15BB, keep small raises and limps in your strategy because a jam-or-fold chart can leave chips on the table.
Push fold chart by stack depth
This chart is a decision map for an unopened pot in a tournament. It tells you when a binary shove-or-fold model works and when you should study a fuller strategy. Exact hands change with position, antes, opponent stacks, payout pressure, and table size.
| Effective stack | Early position | Cutoff / button / SB | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15BB | Raise/fold mix; jam selectively | Raise, limp, and jam mix | Pure push/fold gives up EV in many spots |
| 12BB | Tight jam or small-raise mix | Wider jam with some small raises | Antes and players behind matter heavily |
| 10BB | Jam many playable hands; trap some premiums | Jam wide when folded to | A useful practical push/fold study depth |
| 8BB | Mostly jam or fold | Jam very wide from BTN and SB | Little room remains to raise and fold |
| 5BB | Jam or fold | Jam the widest | Waiting costs a large share of your stack |
Chart assumption: action folds to you in a multi-table tournament. This is a study reference, not a universal solver output. For deeper background, read our short-stack poker strategy guide.
How does position change a push fold chart?
Every player behind you has a chance to find a premium hand. Early-position shoves face the largest combined calling probability. Late-position shoves get through more often, so they can include weaker aces, kings, suited hands, and connected cards.
UTG / early
Tightest
Six to eight players may still wake up with a calling hand.
Middle position
Tight to medium
Fewer players remain, but several ranges can still call.
Cutoff
Wide
Only the button and blinds remain, so folds occur more often.
Button
Very wide
Only two players can call, and both have random hands.
Small blind
Widest heads-up spot
One opponent remains, but the big blind closes the action.
Learn the seat names first if UTG, hijack, and cutoff still blur together. Our poker positions guide explains action order for both 6-max and 9-max tables.
Charts are the reference. Recall wins at the table. Drill stack and position changes in Preflop Wizard.
When should you stop using pure push fold?
A binary chart becomes less accurate as stacks grow. At 15BB, a player can open to 2BB and still fold selected hands to a shove. Strong hands may earn more by raising small and inviting action, while some medium hands prefer a direct jam for fold equity.
The transition has no single number for every seat. Recent solver comparisons published by Upswing Poker show a 10BB early-position solution splitting between small raises and jams, while a shove-or-fold-only model plays a different range. At 15BB, the difference grows.
Use 8-10BB as a clean study zone for push/fold. From 12BB upward, study the full decision tree when your training tool supports it. A simpler chart remains useful under time pressure, but you should understand the tradeoff.
How do antes change push fold ranges?
Antes put extra chips in the middle before cards are dealt. Your shove earns a larger immediate prize when everyone folds, which lets you push more hands than a no-ante chart allows. The big blind ante creates the same incentive even though one player posts it.
Never copy a range until you read the chart label. PokerCoaching publishes separate push fold charts for different ante structures, which shows how much the input matters. Table size also counts: a 6-handed UTG shove has fewer players behind than a 9-handed UTG shove.
Effective stack is the smaller stack that can be won or lost between you and a caller. If you hold 14BB and every player behind covers you, use 14BB. If only the 7BB big blind remains, that heads-up confrontation is effectively 7BB, although other covered players still affect your open decision before they fold.
How does ICM change a tournament push fold chart?
A basic Nash chart usually maximizes chip EV. Tournament payouts make chips worth different amounts depending on stack distribution and the cost of busting. The Independent Chip Model converts those stacks into estimated prize equity.
A medium stack covered near the bubble often shoves tighter because elimination carries a large prize-equity cost.
A big stack that covers several medium stacks can often shove wider because those players must protect their tournament lives.
Calling requires a stronger range than open-shoving because a caller has no chance to win the pot uncontested.
Generic charts cannot know the payouts and every stack at your table. Near a satellite bubble, final-table pay jump, or unusual bounty spot, run the actual setup through an ICM-aware tool after the session.
Four push fold hand examples
Example 1: 8BB on the button with A5o
Action folds to you in a standard ante tournament. An ace blocks some strong calling hands, only two players remain, and winning the blinds plus antes adds a large share to your stack. This is the shape of a clear open-jam spot in a chip-EV chart.
Example 2: 10BB UTG with T8s
Seven or eight players remain in a full-ring event. T8s looks playable, but it runs into too many calling ranges and performs poorly when called. Fold it from early position, then notice how the same hand can become a shove after action folds to the button.
Example 3: 15BB on the button with AKo
A direct jam is profitable in many ordinary setups, yet it may not earn the most. A 2BB open can induce calls or reshoves from dominated hands. This is why a pure push/fold chart should not control every 15BB decision.
Example 4: 9BB with A8o on a satellite bubble
A chip-EV chart may show a profitable shove from late position. If several shorter stacks are close to elimination and a covering big stack sits behind, the prize-equity cost can turn that shove into a fold. Run satellite spots with their real payout structure.
How to study a push fold chart
Memorizing every square at once wastes study time. Start at 10BB and learn the boundary hands for UTG, cutoff, button, and small blind. Test one hand just inside the range and one just outside it. Then repeat at 8BB and 12BB.
Separate open-shove drills from call-a-shove drills. Players often learn that the button can jam a weak ace, then call another player’s jam with the same hand. Those decisions use different ranges because only the opener can win without a showdown.
Finish with mixed-stack and bubble examples. Our guide to practicing poker ranges lays out a repeatable drill order. Review errors by category: wrong position, wrong effective stack, missed ante, or missed ICM pressure.
Turn the chart into an automatic decision
Preflop Wizard lets you drill tournament ranges by position and stack depth, then explains the answer after each decision.
Push fold chart FAQ
What is a push fold chart in poker?
A push fold chart shows which hands to move all-in with and which hands to fold when you have a short tournament stack. A useful chart specifies position, effective stack, ante structure, number of players, and whether the solution maximizes chip EV or prize-money EV.
At how many big blinds should you use push fold strategy?
Pure push/fold becomes a strong practical model around 8-10 big blinds. At 12-15 big blinds, modern solutions often retain small raises or limps, especially from late position, so a chart that allows only jam or fold can miss profitable lines.
Do push fold charts include antes?
Some do and some do not. Antes add dead money, which generally rewards wider shoves, so always check the chart assumptions before using a range. A no-ante chart should not be copied into a big-blind-ante tournament without adjustment.
Does ICM make you shove tighter?
ICM can tighten a covered player's shoving range near a bubble or large pay jump because busting carries extra cost. It can also let a covering big stack apply more pressure. The direction depends on stack distribution and payouts, so chip-EV charts are only a baseline.
Is a push fold chart the same as a call chart?
No. A push chart applies when action folds to you and you are considering an open shove. A call chart applies after another player jams. Calling ranges are usually much tighter because calling cannot win the pot uncontested.
Can you use a push fold chart while playing online poker?
Poker-room rules vary, and many prohibit real-time charts or assistance during play. Use charts and trainers away from the table, learn the range boundaries, and check the current rules for the site or venue where you play.