How strong is K/Q offsuit???

[FREDSKINS]

Latley I have lost my feel for this hand. It feels like the right play when 3 bad players limp and I raise but am I right? Or raising in 2nd or 3rd position. In your opinion what is the best way to play K/Q in these situations? #1. 2nd position limps, 4th position limps, 5th position limps your in 6th position what do you do?
#2. UTG folds your in 2nd position, what do you do? #3. 2nd position limps 4th position raised 7th position calls your on the button, what would you do?? Feel free to add your own advice about the hand.

[Ed Miller]

Situation #1 - Raise if the limpers are very loose and just limp otherwise.

Situation #2 - I would raise here, but I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference.

Situation #3 is by far the most important case of these three. Don't play KQo if there has been a legitimate raise in front of you. Against a very loose raiser or a steal raise, you can 3-bet with this hand to isolate. But, in general, this hand should be mucked to a raise without a second thought.

[758219]

First think that you should either raise or fold with any unsuited hand you are going to play; the exception being when you limp after some player with some very marginal hand from late position, that has value against the blinds, but not if you have to play heads up vs. the limper (or two). The most common advice is to just call with hands like KQ, AJ, but it can't be right if there are no weaker hands coming if you limp. If there are, then limping with AJ, KQ is probably not a worse play. But why you are otherwise not raising with those hands? If you think they are not worth raising, they are not worth playing either.

[davidross]

I don't play KQo from EP anymore. I play it the same way I play ATo, from 4 off the button I'll raise it first in or after a weak limper. I'll fold to a raise or a good player limping. With several weak limpers from the CO or button I will just call and hope.

[Louie Landale]

KQo is par against AJ, JJ, TT, 99; its a GREAT hand when nobody has AA, KK, QQ, AK, nor AQ; its a real dog otherwise.

You need to fold early since the chance of being beat by many unseen hands is pretty high. In late position and nobody is in its a real easy raise, since the chance of NOT being beat is pretty high. In late position against any reasonable raise or any tight call-of-a-raise: you are probably beat and should rouinely fold.

In late position against callers, your decision is based on the players that called. [1] They are tight-passive: you are probably beat and raising is out of the question, folding is a distant option. [2] They are loose-and-aggressive: you almost certainly have the best hand, by a lot, and definately want to raise. [3] They are somewhere in the middle: its a tough decision. Calling has the advantage that you get to raise the flop if you hit your pair. Raising gains if they routinely "check-to-the-raiser" on the flop.

Here's a good tip with trouble hands: don't play unless if "feels" right. These hands really ARE "trouble" if you don't have a feel for it.

- Louie

[Tyler Durden]

This is an excellent thread, b/c KQo gives a lot of players trouble, including me. I have recently begun to limp with it UTG.

#1 -- raise

#2 -- limp

#3 -- fold

[ActionBob]

Situation #1: Even if I dont consider the raisers very loose, I'd still raise in this spot almost every time. Its unlikely you are dominated as most hands that would dominate you here would likely have come in for a raise. Your KQ will certainly win its fair share against 3 typical limpers. Add to this you will have position, plus a chance to get dead money in the pot from the blinds.

-ActionBob

[FREDSKINS]

[Mikey]

As Clarkmeister has said i will continue to use his line.

"Do your homework."

Research some old posts and controvery on this 2+2 forum about KQ type questions hopefully it will help.
Good luck.

[SoBeDude]

This is a hand that I tend to overvalue myself, and am (slowly) learning to get less excited about seeing both a king and a queen in my hand at the same time (hey it beats seeing a 7 and a 2 darnit!!)

But I do have one question:
I have found in my games that raises from early/UTG tend to get a LOT of respect. They are fairly likely to steal the blinds.

Given this fact, I think if I'm going to play KQo from EP, and I'm first in, a raise might be a good play. And a raise from UTG tends to make the game heads-up.

When you consider some times it is going to win immediately and many times you will improve to the best hand, a raise looks decent.

Also, if someone calls my bet with a "reasonable" hand, or perhaps the BB calls, if the flop misses the player and I bet again, it would be hard for that player to call me.

So my question to the math types on this forum, how often does my raise from EP/UTG have to successfully steal the blind for the play to be profitable?

So, when against players of this type, does KOo EP raise become profitable?

Thanks!

-Scott