school Guides

Squeezing by stack depth

The shorter your stack, the more linear your range: you trade bluffs for medium hands that keep equity when called.

Updated October 2026

The line by effective stack

Below 15bb an open and a call becomes a push/fold spot: see the short stack and push/fold guides.

Effective stack	Main line	What changes
40bb and deeper	Standard squeeze	Value plus blocker bluffs (value and bluff guides)
25 to 40bb	Small squeeze (4x in position, 5x out of position), straight all-in below 30bb	Few bluffs: A5s to A3s and KTs against a CO open, A5s to A2s and K9s against a BTN open. Your value hands get it in against a 4-bet
15 to 25bb	Shove or fold (the BB still flats some pairs and suited hands)	No pure bluffs, linear range
Below 15bb	Push/fold	See the push/fold guides

Shoving ranges at 15-25bb

Why no pure bluff at 20bb? You risk your whole stack to win a much smaller pot. When you get called you need equity: 77 has it, 76s much less.

Opener	Shove
UTG	TT+, AK, AQs (99, AQo mixed)
HJ	88+, AJs+, AQo+, KQs (A5s mixed)
CO (+ BTN call)	77+, ATs+, AJo+, KJs+, A5s, A4s (QJs mixed)
BTN (+ SB call), you in the BB	55+, A7s+, ATo+, KTs+, KQo, QJs, A5s to A2s

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Strategy tip

Short-stacked, you squeeze hands, not blockers.

BB facing CO open + call, 20bb

Hands in range 29 / 169

Range width 17.2%

Fold

Call

All-in value

AKo

AQo

AJo

ATo

A9o

A8o

A7o

A6o

A5o

A4o

A3o

A2o

AKs

KQo

KJo

KTo

K9o

K8o

K7o

K6o

K5o

K4o

K3o

K2o

AQs

KQs

QJo

QTo

Q9o

Q8o

Q7o

Q6o

Q5o

Q4o

Q3o

Q2o

AJs

KJs

QJs

JTo

J9o

J8o

J7o

J6o

J5o

J4o

J3o

J2o

ATs

KTs

QTs

JTs

T9o

T8o

T7o

T6o

T5o

T4o

T3o

T2o

A9s

K9s

Q9s

J9s

T9s

98o

97o

96o

95o

94o

93o

92o

A8s

K8s

Q8s

J8s

T8s

98s

87o

86o

85o

84o

83o

82o

A7s

K7s

Q7s

J7s

T7s

97s

87s

76o

75o

74o

73o

72o

A6s

K6s

Q6s

J6s

T6s

96s

86s

76s

65o

64o

63o

62o

A5s

K5s

Q5s

J5s

T5s

95s

85s

75s

65s

54o

53o

52o

A4s

K4s

Q4s

J4s

T4s

94s

84s

74s

64s

54s

43o

42o

A3s

K3s

Q3s

J3s

T3s

93s

83s

73s

63s

53s

43s

32o

A2s

K2s

Q2s

J2s

T2s

92s

82s

72s

62s

52s

42s

32s

menu_book Glossary terms

Squeeze Effective Stack Push-Fold

help Frequently Asked Questions

Should I still bluff-squeeze at 20bb? expand_more

No. At 15-25bb the squeeze is a shove, and a bluff shove risks your stack for a small pot. The range turns linear: 77 rather than 76s.

At what depth does the squeeze become a shove? expand_more

Below roughly 30bb a small squeeze leaves too little behind, so we shove straight away. Between 30 and 40bb a small squeeze of 4 to 5 times the open still works.

And below 15bb? expand_more

The hand becomes a standard push/fold spot. The short stack and push/fold guides cover those depths.

school Read next

Squeezing by seat (6-max) In position you can call from 25bb up, from the SB almost never, in the BB often Squeezing in 3-max Only one squeeze exists: the BTN opens, the SB calls, you are in the BB Adjusting your squeezes to opponents More value against players who call too much, more bluffs against regs who fold

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