This week we discussed a lot about why we raise preflop. This hand in particular also was one we looked at. So I figured lets cover both items with our weekly hand post.
$0.05/$0.1 Fixed-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q:d, K:d.
MP2 folds, Hero raises, CO calls, BU folds, SB calls, BB folds.
- So we're in MP3 with KQ:diamond:. In the basic charts we see this is a medeocre hand preflop which means we should open raise it from middle or late position.
- Raising is better than calling because it increases our expected value for the hand. In other words, by driving up the cost to play with a strong hand the profits we can expect on later streets tends to go up.
- KQ:diamond: is a good hand to raise with from middle position because it has good highcard value, its suited, and its connected. By connected I mean that the cards are in order (Q then K). It can flop a straight draw some of the time, and whenever it makes a straight its the nut straight.
Flop: (7 SB) 9:h, 4:c, Q:c (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, CO folds, SB calls.
- I flop top pair with a good kicker. In the basic article "How to play on the flop" we see the following.
Spoiler
- In accordance with the article I bet my top pair and we're HU heading to the turn
Turn: (4.5 BB) 8:c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB raises, Hero calls.
- The turn brings a scare card, but it also brings many draws. Our opponent will call again with those draws and weaker made hands so we should bet again for value.
- Looking again to the basic article: "How to play on the turn and river", I found a somewhat similar example (Top pair vs a turn raise).
Spoiler
- In accordance with the basic article we bet with our hand and when raised we call. Even though we might be behind, we do not need to win that often to show down against his raise.
River: (8.5 BB) 9:s (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB raises, Hero calls.
- On the river our opponent has done something strange. After check/raising the turn he's checked to us. This can mean a lot of things. He might have given up on a bluff. He may be afraid of the board with just a top pair hand that he decided to raise. He may be playing tricky with a strong hand.
- Given these options, what should we do?
Spoiler
- Now that the board has paired we beat some of the hands he might raise on the turn. Q8, Q4, and an unlikely 84.
- In general strong hands will have bet rather than check so we can value bet expecting to be ahead.
- When he raises us we're getting 11.5:1 to call. This means we only need to be ahead about 8% of the time to call profitably.
- He can only have perhaps a dozen combinations of hands that will play this way and so he only needs to bluff once in a while for us to call.
