What percentage of hands does Small Blind open at 12bb?

Small Blind open-raises 63% of hands at 12bb effective, 6-max - 111 of the 169 starting hands go in at full frequency.

Is this a GTO or an exploit range?

This is a GTO (game-theory-optimal) chip-EV range, balanced to be unexploitable against any opponent. Exploit ranges that deviate from this against a specific known tendency are a separate, Pro-tier solve.

Ranges / Small Blind 12bb

Small Blind push/fold chart - 12bb, 6-max

Small Blind open-raises 63% of hands here at 12bb effective (111 of 169 starting hands go in at full frequency). The small blind opens into just the big blind, a heads-up spot where a wide, aggressive range is usually correct.

At this depth you're deep enough that a few of the weakest hands here play slightly better as a raise you can fold to real aggression than as a flat shove, though shoving stays close to optimal for the bulk of this range.

ShoveFold

Small Blind shove range at 12bb, hand by hand

Always shove — 111 of the 169 starting hands: 22+, A2s+, K2s+, Q2s+, J3s+, T5s+, 95s+, 85s+, 74s+, 64s+, 53s+, A2o+, K2o+, Q6o+, J8o+, T8o+, 97o+, 87o, 76o

Less than always — 18 hands the solver shoves only some of the time: T4s (99%), Q5o (99%), 84s (98%), 43s (98%), J2s (97%), T7o (96%), 63s (95%), T3s (93%), J7o (92%), 86o (22%), 65o (18%), Q4o (9%), 94s (3%), T2s (2%), 93s (1%), 73s (1%), 96o (1%), Q3o (1%).

Across every hand dealt, that is 63% of hands played, weighted by how often each one is dealt.

Compared to 15bb

Small Blind shoves 10 hands at 12bb that it folds at 15bb: J2s, T3s, 84s, Q7o, J7o, T7o, Q6o, 63s, Q5o, 43s.

Hands right on the edge

These aren't clean shove-or-fold decisions - the solver mixes its strategy on each one: 86o (22% shove).

Want to drill this spot hand-by-hand and track your accuracy?

Practice free

Small Blind at other stack depths

Other positions at 12bb

Embed this chart on your site

Paste this wherever you want the chart. It renders 360px wide and shrinks to fit a narrower column. Free to use anywhere, including commercially - the only condition is that the credit line stays.

<iframe src="https://www.pushfoldtrainer.com/embed/ranges/sb-rfi-12bb" width="360" height="470" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Small Blind push/fold chart - 12bb, 6-max"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.pushfoldtrainer.com/ranges/sb-rfi-12bb">Small Blind push/fold chart - 12bb, 6-max</a> by Push Fold Trainer</p>

Learn the theory behind this chart

How to Read a Push/Fold Chartguide
Short Stack Poker Strategyguide
What Is an Effective Stack? A Guide to Stack Depthguide
Push/Fold Strategy by Stack Depth: 5bb vs. 10bb vs. 15bbguide
Short Stackglossary
Push/Fold Pokerglossary

Also see this spot at 9-max →

Drill this spot instead of reading it.

Small Blind at 12bb is one of the spots in the trainer. Play it against this exact solved range and find out which hands you get wrong.

Practice this spot Browse every solved range

First hands need no account. Chip-EV practice is unlimited once you have one.

Stack depths covered on this site: 30bb, 25bb, 20bb, 15bb, 12bb, 10bb, 8bb, 5bb. See all ranges →