Acute variceal bleeding (AVB) is a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis that results from bleeding esophageal or gastric varices. Management of AVB involves hemodynamic resuscitation, treatment of complications, and achieving hemorrhage control. Endoscopic therapies are the primary treatment but balloon tamponade, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), and surgery are rescue options for uncontrolled bleeding. A new potential treatment is self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) deployed endoscopically, which may offer advantages over balloon tamponade in controlling refractory AVB, but further large studies are still needed.