Shoving hopes the big blind folds so you scoop the blinds for free — and against a nervous player, jamming nine-six for that steal is fine. But this player never folds. There's no fold equity to collect, so you're just racing with two low cards you'll usually lose with.

96o from SB with 10bb — push or fold?

Q: 96o from SB with 10bb — push or fold?

Fold. A short-stack shove usually earns its keep two ways: sometimes everyone folds and you steal the blinds, and sometimes you're called but still have a live hand. Nine-six offsuit leans almost entirely on that first way. It looks like a "connector," but it's not connected and not suited — just two low cards with a gap. Against a big blind who calls with any two cards, the fold-equity half vanishes, and you're left behind when the chips go in. Fold.

The answer

Fold

keep your stack

The math: 10bb · a light jam lives on fold equity; against a station there's none. fold.

Why

A short-stack shove usually earns its keep two ways: sometimes everyone folds and you steal the blinds, and sometimes you're called but still have a live hand. Nine-six offsuit leans almost entirely on that first way. It looks like a "connector," but it's not connected and not suited — just two low cards with a gap. Against a big blind who calls with any two cards, the fold-equity half vanishes, and you're left behind when the chips go in. Fold.

The spot

POT · 1,500

preflop

Folded to you · station BB

9♦

6♠

500 / 1,000 · 10bb

Your seat: SB
Stakes and stacks: 500 / 1,000 · 10bb
Your hand: 9♦ 6♠
Board: Preflop — no board yet
Pot: POT · 1,500
Action on you: Folded to you · station BB

Every option

Foldkeep your stackCorrect
Pushall-in
Why not: Shoving hopes the big blind folds so you scoop the blinds for free — and against a nervous player, jamming nine-six for that steal is fine. But this player never folds. There's no fold equity to collect, so you're just racing with two low cards you'll usually lose with.

The idea behind it

A jam with a weak hand makes most of its money from fold equity — the times everyone folds and you take the blinds uncontested. Strip that away, as against a station who calls with any two cards, and a hand like nine-six has to win a showdown it usually loses.

Concept: No fold equity

See the glossary Read the methodology

Terms in this spot

Fold equity

Play it instead of reading it

The trainer deals this hand with hints, grading and spaced repetition — and randomized variations of it once you have seen it.