Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 109
So, like most people, when I have KK pre I am trying to put as much money in the pot as possible via 3bets, 4bets, 5bet shoves.
At NL2 this was definitely the most profitable approach.
At NL5 I am not sure this is always the best approach and I think this is Villain dependent. An example of this is when I've 3bet with KK and face a 4bet.
- My default play is to 5bet because we can definitely get paid by JJ-QQ, AK and versus some Villains even lighter. The problem with this approach is that many Villains understand that 5bets are KK-AA most of the time and so will only continue with those hands. My thinking until now has always been to ignore the times we'll stack off KK vs AA preflop because the same will happen the other way around. I've only folded KK once and only because of very accurate stats on Villain over thousands of hands.
- Flat calling the 4bet also makes sense. I've experimented with this precisely versus those opponents that I feel won't call the 4bet with JJ-QQ. This seems to be very profitable when the flop comes low cards because they will stack off then. However, not so profitable if the flop is K or A high. Another benefit is if Villain had AA we may also get away from it if an A comes (not too likely but still happens).
What are your thoughts? Do you ever flat KK vs a 3bet / 4bet? If so, under what circumstances?