Folding a king-high hand at 5bb wastes a stack that is almost out of time. This short, you must take any reasonable edge and the fold equity that a jam brings.

K9o from SB with 5bb — push or fold?

Q: K9o from SB with 5bb — push or fold?

Push. At five big blinds you are nearly out of chips, and each orbit of blinds costs about a fifth of your stack. That forces a very wide jam: you shove any ace, any king, most broadways and every pair. K♣ 9♦ sits comfortably inside that range — it steals the blinds when everyone folds and is rarely crushed when called. Waiting for a premium just blinds you out. Push.

The answer

Push

all-in

The math: 5bb · the jamming range is enormous. King-high with a nine is a clear shove.

Why

At five big blinds you are nearly out of chips, and each orbit of blinds costs about a fifth of your stack. That forces a very wide jam: you shove any ace, any king, most broadways and every pair. K♣ 9♦ sits comfortably inside that range — it steals the blinds when everyone folds and is rarely crushed when called. Waiting for a premium just blinds you out. Push.

The spot

POT · 1,500

preflop

Folded to you

K♣

9♦

500 / 1,000 · 5bb

Your seat: SB
Stakes and stacks: 500 / 1,000 · 5bb
Your hand: K♣ 9♦
Board: Preflop — no board yet
Pot: POT · 1,500
Action on you: Folded to you

Every option

Foldgive it up
Why not: Folding a king-high hand at 5bb wastes a stack that is almost out of time. This short, you must take any reasonable edge and the fold equity that a jam brings.
Pushall-inCorrect

The idea behind it

The shorter your stack, the wider you must jam: below about seven big blinds the blinds eat you alive, so fold equity plus any live cards is enough. Ultra-short stacks shove a huge fraction of hands.

Concept: Push or fold

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Terms in this spot

All-in ICM

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.