Tournaments
Push or fold in poker
Definition
A strategy for short stacks in which every hand is either shoved all-in or folded, with no calls or small raises.
With about 10 big blinds or fewer, a small raise would commit most of your stack anyway, so going all-in is simpler and gives the opponent a harder decision. Push/fold charts list which hands to shove from each position and stack size.
ICM shifts the charts near the bubble and at final tables, so use ICM-based charts there.
Related terms
- Short stackA stack that is small compared with the blinds, usually below 15 to 20 big blinds.
- M-ratioYour stack divided by the total cost of one orbit (blinds plus antes), showing how many rounds you can survive without playing a hand.
- All-inTo bet all of your remaining chips.
- ICM (Independent Chip Model)A model that converts chip stacks in a tournament into real-money equity based on the prize structure.