Push/Fold by Position: Short-Stack Strategy 10BB and Under

Published 2026-09-28

At 10BB or fewer, position changes your push range more than almost anything else — in 6-max, under the gun shoves 14% of hands at 10BB while the button shoves 38% at the same stack, because the button only has to survive two players acting behind it instead of five. Every seat widens as the stack gets shorter, but the gap between early and late position stays wide all the way down.

Why does position matter so much in push/fold?

A shove only has to survive the players still left to act. From under the gun, every other player at the table can still wake up with a hand and call you off; from the button, only the two blinds get that chance. That is why the same stack depth produces wildly different ranges depending on the seat — the number of live hands behind you, not the stack size alone, sets how wide a shove can profitably go. For the full explanation of when push/fold applies at all, see the push/fold basics guide.

Push/fold ranges by position at 10BB (6-max)

The range grows from 14% under the gun to 38% on the button at the same 10BB stack, and the small blind is wider still at 62% — the clearest illustration of how much position matters.

See the full 10BB chart hub for every position side by side, including 9-max.

What changes at a 9-max table?

With three extra seats between UTG and the button, the early seats run tighter than in 6-max — under the gun at 10BB drops from 14% in 6-max down to just 9% in 9-max, since eight players are left to act instead of five. Seats with the same number of players behind them play identical ranges: the 9-max cutoff, button and small blind match their 6-max counterparts exactly.

Push/fold ranges by position at 8BB (6-max)

Every seat widens compared to 10BB, with the same shape: tight from under the gun, widest on the button.

Full breakdown on the 8BB chart hub.

Push/fold ranges at 5BB — the shortest stacks

At 5BB you are close to committed no matter what you do, and the ranges reflect that — the button is pushing 54% of hands, the small blind 81%, and even under the gun is up at 27%.

Full breakdown on the 5BB chart hub.

How ranges narrow as you move from the button to under the gun

Read across any row of a chart hub and the pattern holds at every stack depth tested: UTG is tightest, and each seat moving toward the blinds widens. The small blind is the widest range at the table (it has only the big blind left to act), with the button just behind it. That ordering never flips — the only thing that changes between stack sizes is how big the gap is between the tightest and widest seat.

FAQ

Why does position matter so much for push/fold at short stacks?

Position determines how many players still have to act behind your shove. From under the gun, everyone left at the table can wake up with a hand and call; from the button, only the two blinds can. That is why the same stack size produces a tight range from early position and a wide range from late position — the number of live hands behind you, not the stack itself, sets how much risk a marginal shove carries.

What is a good push/fold range at 10BB?

It depends entirely on position and table size: 6-max under the gun at 10BB pushes 14% of hands, while the 6-max button at 10BB pushes 38%. There is no single "10BB range" — the correct range is a different width for every seat, which is why push/fold charts are broken out by position rather than published as one number per stack.

Do ranges keep getting wider below 10BB?

Yes, every position widens as the stack gets shorter, all the way down through 8BB and 5BB — the risk of folding away too much of a shrinking stack outweighs the risk of a wider shove getting called. At 5BB, even under the gun in 6-max is up to 27%, and the button is pushing 54% of hands.

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