I'm questioning about how I played a hand last night, and so I thought I'd lay it out and see what the consensus is about how best to approach the decisions presented on the turn and river.

In the hand, Villain had an effective stack of $290. Villain was an average 1/2 NL player. He was neither particularly loose nor tight. He would often limp with a wide range of hands in EP or in LP against other limpers. He would raise in LP to open pots. In this hand, he straddled OTB.

Hero has Villain covered. Hero is likely perceived as tight and aggressive... not playing a lot of hands, usually opening for a raise, and not limping much except OTB with a speculative hand.

Hero was UTG with KQ. The blinds folded, and Hero opened the pot for $16. A very loose player in EP called. Villain defended his straddle OTB and called.

Flop [approx. $45 after rake]: Q 9 3

Hero bet $35 with TPGK. Only Villain called.

Turn [$115]: 7 for a board of Q 9 3 7

Let me stop here. The flush draw hit on the turn. What is the best option for the turn: bet/fold to a raise; check/call; or check/fold to a bet?

If betting, how much? If checking, how much would you call?

This is a check fold spot in my opinion.

UTG open, 3 way pot, cbet on the flop. KQ is near the bottom of the range of our line here, so we can let it go. The only worse hands we have here are QJ and maybe QT. Everything else in our turn check range is either an over pair, a set, or tptk. So continue with those hands and let this one go in my opinion. Live poker is also horribly unbalanced with way too little bluffs from most "solid" players. So over folding in spots like this is probably a +ev adjustment vs regs.

Don't care for the open with a trouble hand in such bad position. I'd usually fold this pre, but would consider an open limp on a limpy table (2p+ mining) or opening on a nitty table.

AP, flop is fine.

Against an average LP 1/2 V, I c/f turn when the FD comes in. Against a more aggro V, I would be concerned about a semi-buff with one heart, but an average 1/2 V isn't betting this turn with lass than AhQx very often at all.

Note that this situation is exactly why I don't like playing QK until at least MP.

In game, I probably barrel or c/c one street, maybe it's a leak here. In this spot c/c seems better.

I don't mind either options since Villain could be defending straddle wide especially with getting a fair price thanks to EP caller.

Just keep betting.

Probably bet a little less pre. I'd also bet a little less on the flop. I'm not looking to create a huge pot with KQ utg.

You have to bet the turn. You can't let single heart hands draw. You also expose yourself to bluffs and semi-bluffs. Bet/fold about $60.

My idea behind C/C is most villains don't bluff 2 streets (maybe the straddle adds to likelihood they try to bluff 2x vs a normal small pot?) We can manage the pot and if this checks through we can make a value bet vs weaker Qx and other pairs, obv pending river. Value betting turn is totally fine considering it's a straddled pot, might even be best. Also how strong can we really be when we check turn? Once we check/calls it keeps most villains honest vs an unknown, especially vs an EP range.

Betting seems really fine. C/f seems nitty.

I am also opening this hand 95% of games I play.

But we are gonna be OOP. Getting value, and controlling pot size is always hard.

Open smaller. Your hand plays fine mutli-way. $10-12, accomplishes same as $16 for UTG open.

One caller great outcome!!!!
Drill flop great outcome.

Bet $15, charges draws some. Allows all Qx to call worry free. Get alot of weaker gutter ball hands to give us value. And underpairs to see 1 more street.

Mostly it keeps pot small, and future CBets (with air) more credibility for cheaper price.

Turn: Isn't a good card. But we where likely checking turn anyway. I would check/call, mostly. Watching close for tells and bet sizing. Turn sizing will naturally be smaller since we have created smaller pot with our smaller raise pre, and flop bet.

Bet/Folding also a great option. If we can trust our villain isn't getting out of line. In spots like this bet/calling is awful. So if we think there is decent chance a raise is coming. Check/call

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Those wanting to bet again, what do you think that we get value from that called flop? Admittedly, V's range is wide to defend his straddle pre, but after the flop call, how may worse Qs are in his range? Basically only JQ and QTs, imo.

OK, we give up some value against those and TJ, but we are value-cutting the **** out of ourselves against the made flushes, better Qs, and we really don't like making the pot bigger and perhaps giving ourselves RIOs vs. pair plus FD, and even the TJ with one heart.

On this turn, readless, naked KQ is likely the stone bottom value bet which intuitively would make it seem not too far gapped from a check. However, when you weigh in the other benefits of betting (protection/FE, showdown frequency, minimal card removal, along with the likelihood that equity wise were doing better vs a calling range than ck-c a betting range), I think that gap is actually far wider than it appears.

Sounds like betting or checking the turn is a close call...

Let me back up just a bit to comment on the pre-flop action. The table was playing pretty tight. I did not expect more than 1 or 2 callers, and many pre-flop raises had gone uncalled. I felt like I had a decent handle on how the other players were playing and could navigate a lot of flops, especially if the result was only one caller.

Now for the turn... I decided to bet $60. I wasn't giving the straddler a particularly strong range. I felt he likely defended his straddle OTB wide and would float the flop bet with a decent number of worse queens, underpairs, and straight draws. I felt that any two pair or better hands on the flop would have raised, and with the flush draw coming in, I might have some fold equity against a hand like AQ.

Villain called.

River [$235] Q for final board of Q 9 3 7 Q

Same question: how would you play this river?

The river Q doesn't change anything. You are still ahead/behind almost every hand as on the turn, except an unlikely KK/AA or lol 97/93. You got value from straight and flush draws. Those hands will now fold.

I can't really see much worse calling, other than QJ/QT. AQ/flushes all beat you. I don't think a river value bet gets called by worse 50+% of the time. I check. Whether or not I call a villain river bet would really depend on the live read.

So you bet $60 to get them to fold there equity? And as a bluff?

Your reasoning for betting doesn't make much sense. You suggesting you are merging? Which is done mostly when people have no idea where they are at in the hand.

People call way to wide. We can still definitely bet turn for value in most 1/2 games.

But with your large bet sizing pre and on flop. You have bloated the pot. Putting yourself in realley awkward spot. Which is actually going to cost $ in long run.





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I know guys who do extremely well at 1/2NL who fold AQo UTG. I know another who plays it strong UTG & also does well. I'm talking about winning players over the last 5 years since casino opened.

2 will try & get in cheap with 88 UTG & another will o/r $15 & c-bet favorable flops & be done with it.

In most games, due to table dynamics, KQs is one of those hapless hands that are folded UTG, while mumbling to ourselves as to "why can't I get that hand in LP?!"

The players I know who would fold this [and AQo] play a lot of 2/5 when the games are good. They swear they have found that AQo is a loser long term in 1/2NL!
The ones I know that play it, and 88 hard, like to cherry pick tables in the 1/2NL arena.

Here, 2 players have already folded, however, one player already has $ invested & owns prime real estate post-flop.

AP, I think c-betting the Turn is obviously V dependent. I probably hardly ever find myself in this situation [anymore] as I don't play KQs in EP.