$100 PP NLHE, VERY INTERESTING SITUATION!!

[theBruiser500]

$100 PP NLHE, playing 5 handed, I'm on the button and raise to $6 with KT, someone who just sat down (so no read) in the BB calls me. My stack is $70 and his is about $65. Flop comes KJ6, rainbow. He leads out $11 into me, I raise to $22, he goes all in for about $40 more for me to call. So, pretty quick question here, do I call?

By the way, yes, I know it's not a "very interesting situation". In fact, it's one of the less interesting threads on this forum, my little joke. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

danny

[daryn]

danny what are you doing messing around with KT offsuit? trying to pick up the blinds? give me a break.. you try this in our game and i'll bust you /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[sillyarms]

I'd fold. He might have AK, KK, KQ, KJ, AA, 66 or JJ. I can't think of a hand someone would play this way that you have beat. Why are you raising pre-flop with KT? In a raised pot this hand is easily dominated.

silly

[Ulysses]

OK. You have to call $40 to win $95. I think you're most likely against KJ, 66, KQ, or QT. Sometimes AK. Sure, sometimes you'll be up against a crappy King, but I think usually it'll be one of those. You're a little better than 2:1 vs. QT but in bad shape v. everything else. So, I'd usually fold.

[The Bear]

Without a strong read on your opponent, this looks like an easy fold.

[theBruiser500]

I think it's legitimate to raise here with that since I have position, and it's a shorthanded game. Anyway, I called and was pleasantly surprised to see A8. I guess maybe I should have layed it down, but if I make enough poor calls I'm bound to get lucky eventually. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

danny

[TheGrifter]

I hate to say it, but I like the way he played his A8 better than the way you played your K10...from the preflop raise to the min. raise on the flop you were asking to get bluffed when you had a marginal holding. It worked out here but I'm guessing it won't most of the time.

[jakuda]

Well in general in short handed games you would want to raise with hands that need little improvement. KTo needs lots of improvement. But your table might have been meek enough that raising KT was the right move.

[theBruiser500]

Jakuda, what type of hands are you talking about when you say "hands that need little improvement"?

danny

[jakuda]

There's a chapter on shorthanded play preflop in HPFAP (geared towards limit, I know, but some of theory applies).

Anyways it depends on how loose the blinds are. If you are raising, hopefully to steal the blinds, then you have to consider how loose the blinds are. If they are likely to call with a wide range of hands, then you might be better off calling and seeing the flop cheaply. You said the BB just sat down, so it's really hard to decide what to do.

KTo by itself won't win many pots even if a King flopped. If the BB checks and calls/raises you, you could be beat.

Hands that need little improvement that play well shorthanded are pocket pairs, and high overcards AK, AQ, etc... KTo is kind of borderline since straight potential isn't that great, kicker isn't that good, and no flush potential. So I think KTo is borderline if you don't know how the blinds play.