Open shove is going all-in as the first player to act in a betting round, putting maximum pressure with your entire stack.
In tournament poker especially, the open shove represents one of the most powerful weapons in a short-stacked player’s arsenal. This all-or-nothing play forces opponents into a binary decision with their tournament life potentially at stake. The move works because it denies opponents the ability to see cheap flops or make small raises that could put you in difficult spots postflop.
The effectiveness of an open shove depends entirely on stack sizes and tournament dynamics. With 10-15 big blinds, this play becomes increasingly attractive as it maximizes fold equity while still having enough chips to hurt opponents who call incorrectly.
How Does Open Shove Work?
Example 1: Late Position Steal
You hold A♣7♠ on the button with 12 big blinds in a tournament. Everyone folds to you. You move all-in for 12bb. The small blind and big blind both fold, and you win the blinds and antes.
This open shove works because your stack size creates an awkward calling spot for the blinds, who need strong hands to risk a significant portion of their stacks.
Sizing Considerations
With an open shove, there’s no sizing decision, you’re always going all-in. The key is recognizing when your stack size makes this play more effective than a standard raise.
When Should You Open Shove?
- With 8-12 big blinds in late position when folded to you
- From any position with 5-8 big blinds when you find a playable hand
Common Mistakes with Open Shove
Open shoving with too many chips. Going all-in with 25+ big blinds as your opening move looks desperate and actually gets more calls from medium-strength hands that would fold to a normal raise.
Key Takeaway
Open shoving is a tournament survival tool that works best between 8-12 big blinds. The move maximizes fold equity while avoiding difficult postflop decisions with a short stack.
