MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

A five-handed $20-$40 game. A good player opens with a raise under-the-gun. You are in the small blind with the K-Q and everyone folds to you. What do you do?

I'll post the books advise after some of you have responded. I don't play high stakes but I would be shocked if you answer the way the book does.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

I think it's an easy raise 5-handed.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

I raise, then lose.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

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I raise, then lose.

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I think it's a raise or fold situation depending on the player raising UTG. I think calling sucks though why give the BB 5:1 to see a flop?

Here is the book's advise:

Call. In a full game, when a good player opens with a raise in early position, you should fold king-queen offsuit unless you are in the big blind. The reason is because the good player rates to have A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K, or A-Q, and many of these hands dominate yours. But in a five-handed game, a good player will raise on a much wider range of hands like pocket eights, sevens, and sixes, as well as ace-jack, ace-ten, ace-nine suited, king-jack, queen-jack suited, and so forth. Your hand is worth a play, especially since you are already partially in. We would also cold-call a raise on the button having to put in the full amount.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

I voted call before reading the response. KQ isn't looking great against his range and there's no reason to isolate him with this sort of hand, out of position. You can lead a lot flops into him and put BB in a tough spot as well.


PS this situation JUST came up in the game I was playing. He raises UTG, folded to me and I call, BB calls. I have KcQd, flop Jc9c8c, I bet, both call, turn Qh, I bet, BB calls, button folds...I ended up winning the hand.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

3-bet.

A.) A "good" player in a 5-handed Party 20/40 game has a much wider range than a good player in the MLHE book does. We have great equity against a 30/20 type's range here.

B.) Since he's a good player, there is a lot of value in making him fold weak A-high to us on a whole bunch of flops.

C.) Knocking the BB out is very important, both for taking his 1sb uncontested and vastly increasing our chances of taking pot without a SD postflop.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

I'd generally raise, but the book's advice isn't horrible, KQ is a nice hand that may dominate many hands the BB calls with. Calling here isn't obviously wrong.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

Just did a quick pokerstove against my UTG 5 handed range and it returned about 50/50. Being OOP sucks, but like others have said, using initiative to make him fold A high is good. However, you can also get into a lot of trouble postflop if you are dominated or run into a better hand.

Basically, use your own judgment, and make sure to take into account BB's nature in your decision. If he's the type to call down a lot, 3betting is bad in a lot of cases.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

I voted fold, but I think it depends on what kind of good player he is, table dynamics, my image etc. If its a tyte pf good player, I'm prolly going to fold. If it is a laggier good player who respects my 3bets or is really likely to have a worse hand on avg...I'll 3bet.

Re: MLHE advise for 20/40 - crap?
 

3bet against a tag. call against a lag.