What is a Shove in Poker?

A shove is an all-in bet: you put your entire stack into the pot. It is the most powerful and final action in no-limit hold'em because it removes any further betting and forces opponents to decide for all their chips. A shove is not a call, not a standard raise, and not a semi-bluff with room to fold later. Once you shove, you cannot make another decision on that hand; the outcome is determined by showdown or by everyone folding.

Shoving is a stack-commit move. You use it when you are willing to risk your whole tournament life or buy-in to win the pot right now, or to get called by worse hands. The key is to know when your stack is short enough that a standard raise would commit you anyway, and when you are deep enough that shoving would be a mistake.

What a shove is and is not

A shove is an all-in wager. It can be a value bet, a bluff, or a protection bet. It is not a call, even if you put in the same number of chips as an opponent's bet. It is not a raise that leaves chips behind. It is not a move you make with a medium-strength hand when you are deep-stacked and can still play postflop.

Common wrong reading: shoving is only for strong hands. In reality, shoving is a stack-size decision first, hand-strength decision second. A short stack can shove with a wide range because fold equity is high and the risk is small relative to the pot. A deep stack should rarely shove because you risk too much to win too little.

How to use a shove: stack and pot numbers

Use a shove when your stack is small relative to the pot and your hand has enough equity to be called. A common rule of thumb: if a standard raise would commit more than one-third of your stack, you are usually better off shoving. For example, if the pot is 1,000 chips and you have 3,000 chips, a raise to 2,500 leaves you with only 500 behind, so you are committed. Shoving instead puts maximum pressure on your opponent.

Another way to think: if your stack is 15 big blinds or less, shoving is often the best preflop move with a wide range. At 20 big blinds, you can still shove with strong hands or as a bluff, but you have more room to raise-fold. At 30 big blinds or more, shoving preflop is usually reserved for premium hands or specific situations like a squeeze.

This table is qualitative, not exact. The exact range depends on position, opponents, and tournament stage.

Worked stack example

You are on the button in a tournament. Blinds are 500/1,000 with a 100 ante. The pot is 2,700. You have 12,000 chips (12 big blinds). Everyone folds to you. You look down at A♠7♦.

A standard raise to 2,500 would leave you with 9,500 chips. If the big blind calls, the pot is 6,200 and you have 9,500 behind. You are not committed yet, but you are in an awkward spot on most flops. If the big blind shoves over your raise, you have to decide whether to call with a weak ace.

Shoving instead puts the big blind to a decision for their whole stack. If they call, you have about 40% equity against a typical calling range of pairs and better aces. If they fold, you win the 2,700 pot. The shove is profitable because the fold equity plus your hand equity makes it positive expected value.

Now consider a counter-example: you are on the button with 50,000 chips (50 big blinds) and the same A♠7♦. Shoving would risk 50,000 to win 2,700. That is a terrible risk-to-reward ratio. A standard raise to 2,500 is better because you can fold to a re-raise or play postflop. Shoving here is a leak because you turn a playable hand into a bluff that only gets called by better.

When not to shove

Do not shove when you are deep-stacked and have a hand that plays well postflop. For example, with 40 big blinds and a suited connector, you want to see a flop, not risk your stack. Do not shove when you are in early position with a medium hand like KJo; you will often get called by better hands and fold out worse hands. Do not shove when a call would leave you with a playable stack and you have no fold equity, such as against a player who never folds.

Also, do not shove when you are on a draw and the pot odds do not justify it. If you have a flush draw and your opponent bets, shoving is only correct if your fold equity plus your draw equity makes it profitable. If your opponent is pot-committed and will call, you are just getting your money in as an underdog.

The next decision after a shove

After you shove, the decision is out of your hands. Your only remaining action is to wait for your opponent to call or fold. If they fold, you win the pot. If they call, the cards are revealed and the best hand wins. There is no further betting. Your preparation before the shove is what matters: you must have already decided that you are happy to be called by the range you expect.

If you are the player facing a shove, the next decision is whether to call. You need to calculate pot odds: the amount you must call divided by the total pot after you call. For example, if the pot is 5,000 and your opponent shoves for 5,000, you must call 5,000 to win 10,000, so you need at least 33% equity. Compare that to your hand's equity against the shover's range.

Leaks on this stack decision

• Shoving too wide from early position: you risk your stack against a strong range behind you. A hand like A5o is a shove from the button but a fold from under the gun.
• Shoving too tight from the small blind: when the big blind is short, you should shove with a wide range to pressure them. Folding too often gives up easy chips.
• Shoving with a medium hand when a raise-fold is better: if you have 20 big blinds and a hand like 88, a raise to 2.5 big blinds allows you to fold to a shove from a tight player. Shoving turns 88 into a bluff that only gets called by better.
• Shoving for value with a hand that is not strong enough: if you shove with top pair on a wet board, you might get called by better hands and fold out worse. Sometimes a smaller bet is better.
• Ignoring stack-to-pot ratio: if the pot is 1,000 and you have 20,000, shoving is almost always wrong. You risk too much to win too little.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a shove and a raise?

A shove is an all-in raise that puts your entire stack at risk. A standard raise leaves chips behind and allows you to fold later. A shove is a final commitment.

When should I shove preflop?

Shove preflop when your stack is 15 big blinds or less, or when a standard raise would commit you. From late position, you can shove wider; from early position, tighter.

Is shoving a bluff profitable?

Shoving as a bluff is profitable when your opponent folds often enough. If you risk 10 big blinds to win 3 big blinds, your opponent must fold more than about 77% of the time for the bluff to break even. That is rare, so bluff shoves work best when you have some hand equity.

What does it mean to be pot-committed?

You are pot-committed when the pot is so large relative to your stack that folding would be a mistake. If you have put in more than one-third of your stack, you are usually committed and should shove rather than raise-fold.