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View Full Version : How do you play KQo?


prairieboy
03-15-2004, 11:50 AM
I recently realized that I don't know how to play KQo.

How would you play this:

Party NL $50 sit & go, 3 players left. BB has 6500, button has 2000 and you (SB) have 1500. Blinds are 100/200.

Button folds; action is on you. BB has loose, but not maniacal calling standards.



Why?

William
03-15-2004, 12:04 PM
All-in.

With KQo, you are satisfied with the blinds.Small/medium raises will normally be called by Aces. This way, a weak ace will think twice about calling.

Take care,
William

Guy McSucker
03-15-2004, 12:06 PM
I voted for raising all-in.

In this situation, with only 7 BBs in my stack and three handed, I am looking to move in or fold most of the time. KQ is clearly beating a random hand, and has a lot of hands your loose calling BB will call with in big trouble (Kx, Qx).
So I'm playing this one, and my only play at the moment is to move in.

Guy.

TylerD
03-15-2004, 12:10 PM
I voted all-in as well.

Fold - too strong a hand to fold when short stacked.
Call - weak, invites a bluff-raise so you don't know where you stand.
Raise - 3xs the blinds virtually commits you if called so...
All-in it is.

LetsRock
03-15-2004, 12:14 PM
No brainer for me - shove 'em in. And hope the BB thinks you're on a steal. This is a very strong hand heads up.

TheGrifter
03-15-2004, 01:35 PM
This is an easy push for me.

I just want to mention however that while KQo is great in a 3 handed game and especially for an all in from a steal position like this, it is tricky and often overvalued in a full game.

For instance, if a reasonable UTG raises 3xBB in a relatively full game then you should muck KQo from MP, because even if you hit the flop you may be beat.

Senor Choppy
03-15-2004, 01:52 PM
This really shouldn't be close. All-in is pretty obvious given stack sizes here. The blinds would have to be a lot lower for this not to be the correct play IMO, or the other variables would have to be a lot different.

Gar Pike
03-15-2004, 03:22 PM
I would raise to about half my stack and hope the button called or re-raised me all-in. If I know I'm going all-in anyway, why not try to induce a bluff re-raise? If I just get called, I can look at the flop and decide what my next move is, having a bit more info to make a decision with.

True, the flop could come with an A, and I'd probably have to fold to a bet, but I'd still have T750 to work with. If I'm all-in and the flop has an A, and one of my opponents does, too, I'm out.

With the usual caveats that I'm just a beginner at NL, and all comments, criticism, quid pro quo, advisos or provisos are welcome

aslowjoe
03-15-2004, 08:11 PM
It seems like the majority is that you should raise all in. Please correct me as I am still trying to undestand hold em.
If I go all in do I want him to call or do I just want the blinds. If I get called I am about a 65% favorite against a random hand. If I do this twice the chances are greater that I'm going home rather then still being alive. Why not raise to 700-800 then bet the flop if no ace appears?
The other scenario is I go all in and he folds and I win 1BB. I know from what most people say that I am probably wrong but please explain why. Thanks.
Joe

cferejohn
03-15-2004, 08:32 PM
OK. Who voted fold? Pipe up.

I think this is an easy all-in. You can't improve your money position without getting some more chips. Depending on the standards of the BB, you may either get called by worse hands (KJ, QJ) or get better ones to lay down (small pairs, weak aces), and the mojority of the time, you're going to just pick up the blinds.

cferejohn
03-15-2004, 08:34 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I would raise to about half my stack and hope the button called or re-raised me all-in. If I know I'm going all-in anyway, why not try to induce a bluff re-raise? If I just get called, I can look at the flop and decide what my next move is, having a bit more info to make a decision with.


[/ QUOTE ]

Rare (dare I say never) is the time when you should put in 1/2 your stack preflop when planning to possibly fold on the flop. Also, you don't really want him to call/raise here. Sure KQ is a pretty good hand 3-handed, but it's not a favorite over a weak ace, which might have folded to an all-in and might come over the top to a weak raise like this.

xtravistx
03-15-2004, 10:29 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I would raise to about half my stack and hope the button called or re-raised me all-in. If I know I'm going all-in anyway, why not try to induce a bluff re-raise? If I just get called, I can look at the flop and decide what my next move is, having a bit more info to make a decision with.



[/ QUOTE ]

The only reason I disagree here is, most of the hands that you would be reraised all in with would contain an ace anyways, which you wouldn't be a favorite against. Plus if the flop didn't hit you right, it would be very hard to play post flop, especially if the big blind got even a piece of the flop.

Guy McSucker
03-16-2004, 06:09 AM
[ QUOTE ]

I would raise to about half my stack and hope the button called or re-raised me all-in. If I know I'm going all-in anyway, why not try to induce a bluff re-raise?


[/ QUOTE ]

Because you don't want to see a flop.

Any time the blinds are significantly large, which is almost all the time in tournaments, you would rather win them without a fight. This is especially true here where the blinds are 20% of your stack.

You're not folding this hand, so you move in to maximise the chance that you win uncontested. If he calls, he calls, and you're in with a decent chance a lot of the time.

Guy.

LetsRock
03-16-2004, 10:20 AM
This is tourney play, not a ring game. IN this example, he is the short stack and needs to do anything he can to build his stack. He can't wait around for AA or KK to get aggressive because it won't be long before the blinds will bleed his stack to having no clout whatsoever. WHen you have no clout, you have zero chance of scaring someone out of a pot.

There are many lesser hands that would be worth shoving all in hoping to steal the blinds, but with the ability to handle a call with a lot of hands that a big stack might defend his blind with.

1BB may seem like a small amount, but at this point in the tourney, the BB is rather large and at the very least it buys him an extra orbit.