why does anyone ever play KQo?

mgsimpleton · #1 05-21-2005, 02:54 AM

ok this is a hand i recently played like a clown... can i get comments on all streets, how people would have played it differently and what they would do on the river? no comments about preflop calling KQo, there were so many callers i thought i'd get odds to hit two pair or wow maybe even... trips... ugh.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) converter

Button ($1167)
SB ($1098.5)
BB ($1255.6)
Hero ($936.25)
UTG+1 ($830)
UTG+2 ($983.4)
MP1 ($877.75)
MP2 ($1002)
MP3 ($536.75)
CO ($901.5)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $5.
Hero calls $10, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $10, MP1 raises to $35, 3 folds, Button calls $35, SB (poster) calls $30, 1 fold, Hero calls $25, UTG+2 calls $25.

Flop: ($185) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG+2 checks, MP1 bets $80, Button folds, SB folds, Hero calls $80, UTG+2 folds.

Turn: ($345) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 bets $125, Hero calls $125.

River: ($595) 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 calls $637.75 (All-In), Hero folds.

Final Pot: $1232.75

Popinjay · #2 05-21-2005, 03:06 AM

reads are good

creedofhubris · #3 05-21-2005, 03:14 AM

People play it in unraised pots to beat yokels with crappy q and k hands, and in raised pots to hit 2 pair or better.

I think you can get away on the river here.

fisherman112 · #4 05-21-2005, 03:32 AM

i dont really understand why you're bothering to play KQ here if you're going to be this tight/passive with trips. the river fold is understandable but against an aggressive player after seeing you call twice he might push that river with a large variety of holdings. you needed to establish the strength of your hand on the flop or turn.
it's very difficult to define your hand from villain's perspective.
lead out on the flop or c/r.

emil3000 · #5 05-21-2005, 07:27 AM

I think you played it fine postflop. It really is a crap hand though. I'd never play it UTG.

Nate_Dogg · #6 05-23-2005, 12:26 AM

It's an either or hand. You want to play it heads up for TP value or in a family pot for 2 pair/straight value. Calling UTG is not profitable in my opinion. Post flop you have to show some aggression. This was a perfect spot to check raise on the flop. You can pick up a fairly nice pot w/ a raise of $125 or so. If he calls then you put him on AK and give it up. Notice that this is what you called on the turn anyway so its not any more expensive than your actual line. I think you got bluffed out of your socks by AQ or worse.

AEKDBet · #7 05-23-2005, 01:13 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I think you played it fine postflop. It really is a crap hand though. I'd never play it UTG.

[/ QUOTE ]

KQo has to have a very special set of circumstances to win a large pot, and much more often winds up in a tough spot.

The only big pots KQo wins in my last 2 PT databases (~160K hands) are when:
1) I turn 2 pair vs a flopped 2 pair etc
2) 2 pair hands (AJ, AT, JT) and sets pay off straight.
3) I fill up, and opponent has AK, AQ. Lucky me.

Most of my final KQo hands show up as "folded - After flop", "folded - after river"...

steamroller · #8 05-23-2005, 06:08 PM

In late position, against a bunch of limpers, KQo is very playable. If K or Q comes on the flop with no A, you probably have the dominant hand. Nothing wrong with that for a small pre-flop investment. You just have to be able to let it go pretty quickly if things start to go south.

emil3000 · #9 05-23-2005, 06:56 PM

Yeah, of course I agree with that.