Commerce $20/40 KQo

[bobbyi]

Commerce $20/40 about two weeks ago.

Cast of characters:
Big blind (BB): Super loose. For example, I have seen him limp in early position with hands like K6o and 69s. Relatively passive.
Cutoff (CO): Generally bad and loose.
Button (BN): This guy mostly seemed fairly passive, and then recently he straddled for no particular reason (by which I mean, he didn't seem to be on tilt or any of the other reasons you usually see people straddle) and then capped when I three-bet him (apparently there are technically no straddles at Commerce, so his straddle was merely a blind raise meaning that four bets is still the cap) and called me down. In general, he sometimes raises or takes other actions for no discernable reason; I assume he just gets bored.

Preflop: Hand is dealt seven-handed. I raise UTG with K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's folded to CO who calls. BN three-bets. BB calls, I call, CO calls.

Flop: A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. It's checked to BN who bets. All call.

Turn: 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Check round.

River: K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. BB checks, I bet, CO folds and BN raises. BB folds and I call.

[ShawnHoo]

I'm not crazy about the pre-flop raise, though it's better than calling.

The rest of the hand seems pretty standard to me.

[Stork]

Looks OK.

And Shawn, are you saying you would fold KQo UTG in a 7-handed game? I think raising preflop is far and away the best way to play it, with calling second and folding not even on my mind.

[bobbyi]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not crazy about the pre-flop raise, though it's better than calling.

[/ QUOTE ]
The only other option is folding and folding KQo four off the button seems insane. There are advocates of folding it in early position (say seven off the button, which is UTG in a ten-handed game) and I think that has merit. But in middle position, I can't see folding this hand. Is it just that people have some fixation on the idea of being "under the gun"? Because I've noticed that a lot; if someone has a hand first in in a six-handed game people react differently to it than if they are folded to in the same position in a ten-handed game because "you need to be tight under the gun". It seems silly. With only a few people folding in front of you, the "bunching effect" or whatever it is called that the folded hands have on the remaining hands is pretty minor, and anyway that would agrue for actually being tighter in the ten-handed scenario where people have folded since the players behind you are more likley to have playable hands.

[Stork]

I would still be raising KQo in average 10-handed games too. I might limp though in a tough game.

[ShawnHoo]

I understand what you're saying.

Perhaps I'm just confused as to what these opponents were like. Somehow your descriptions gave me the idea that at least one of them were somewhat crazy-aggro, in which case I don't like being out of position with K high in a multi-way pot.

[bobbyi]

[ QUOTE ]
I would still be raising KQo in average 10-handed games too.

[/ QUOTE ]
KQo UTG is an issue that's been debated to death on this forum over the years, so I generally try to avoid bringing it up again, but the claims of people here who play online and have poker tracker results is that KQo shows can be played for a profit raising with it UTG. I never play in 10-handed games, so it's hard for me to know. But the reason I posted the hand is for feedback on the postflop play.

[Klepton]

why is it whenever a KQo UTG hand comes up we start the raising / folding flame war. Let's talk about the hand. I like the way you played it, the only hands I put button on are KQ, KJ, or QJ, and maybe K10, althought i think he would bet the turn with this.

[bobbyi]

BN has QJo and wins the pot.

[Vince Lepore]

If you consistently raise UTG with hands as weak as K,Qo in a typical 10 handed game you will soon feel the pain.

Vince