Hero opens KQo UTG, 100bb eff V next to act calls

Flop... KT4r
Hero cbets 1/2 to 3/4 PSB, V calls

Turn...5x
Hero checks, V bets 1/2 PSB, Hero calls

River...Ax
Hero checks, V checks and shows AJo/AQo


How bad is Hero's play?

Pretty bad. Bet the turn (or check/raise) every time if you are opening KQ UTG and hitting this flop. What does the 5 change? I'd rather check/fold than check/call.

Of course, reads would be nice, but in a vacuum...

The board is pretty dry.. I don't expect to get 3 streets from worse... I'm OOP.. why not pot control?

A turn x/r is an overplay against a lot of villains. When I am in villain's position my betting range there is polarized. I am checking back KJ/KQ. A lot of people will just click the bet button with all of their equity on the turn, so an exploitative x/r on a brick is probably okay, but I prefer betting the turn myself without reads.

You should be going three streets on brick runouts for at least a small bet on the river against Vs who won't bluff-raise, I think, although it's thin.

Not enough info. to go on here. That being said, if you're interested in pot control (reasonable here IMO), then I'd check the flop and either pop the turn hard or check-raise the turn. Both should chase out non-paired Ax hands and straight draws, leaving V with sets, Ax pairs that should be folding (again, this is absent any additional info.), and weaker Kings.

Why are you pot controlling? What do you think V has? If he has you beat on the turn and you bet, he'll let you know (ABC player we are assuming). Why do you want to give a free card on this basically blank turn (he could easily have a straight draw on flop)? Bet and let him call with his draws or weaker Ks. If he folds, so be it -- you opened UTG w/ KQo, be happy you won.

What is your range for V on the flop/turn?

What if V had bet river?

Looks OK in abstract but really needs more information about villain and about hand in general. How much did you raise preflop? How does possible play from other villains play into the situation? What sort of range does villain have? Against a villain that will float flop with nothing but a gut shot draw then you should be turn more often, if his preflop and flop range are very tight then checking turn should be your default.

This isn't a bet/check/bet line, that is a situation where you bet flop, check turn and bet river. This is a b/c/c situation.

Weaker Kx, Tx, draws

Probably always check/calling OTR. Leak much.

Yeah, sorry. I meant b/c/b was my plan. But otherwise I'm calling turn and river bets.

Why are we checking back any K OTT as villain and allowing opponent to catch up??

Don't open this utg.

Try to never check/call. Exception is river if draws missed. But don't check call flop. Don't check call turn.

Ever.

First off, you didn't get burnt. You got lucky that you didn't get value-owned OOP with a dominated hand.

You also got lucky that your weak opponent only put in money when he was behind and checked when he made his hand. You lost the minimum. This is good news.

But, you would also have won the minimum if Ace didn't hit.


Fold pre. Raising with KQo UTG is a little too loose and a RIO hand. I don't know what your stakes are but the higher you go, the less you want to play this hand UTG.

Against this type of opponent, should be bet/folding every street then check/re-eval the Ace river. Sometimes you can b/c/b but I prefer to do that in position against a thinking opponent. As we see, your opponent is very weak and would have called on the turn with worse and probably called if he hits second pair on the river as well.

You can x/c turns if villains are floaty/bluff too often, but that is usually better for later position where hero's range is wider. Given that this flop hits your range fairly hard for an UTG raise most V's would most likely x back turn with their straight draws, T's and weaker KX hands, meaning you lose value for no reason. Betting turn seems better in a vacuum and x/f this river is good.

Low stakes with a bunch of fish... 6 handed.. ?

I don't mind it at all if V is more likely to bet his draw when checked to than to call if you bet the turn.

Gotta x/f this river though. QJ got there, AQ,AJ,AT - these should all be a big part of his range if we're x/c the turn.

ETA: Nothing wrong with opening KQo 6 handed

I like how you played it.

I find the bcb line a useful tool vs tighter more passive fish, and like the line against the right guy.


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Not mentioned in the OP. We must assume an average, full-ring game. If you want more specific answers, give more specifics in the OP. I would not open KQ in an average full-ring game.

BTW, if this is a six-handed game full of fish, you should never check this turn (unless you plan to check/raise, which I would not do)!!!

Agreed; trivial fold for me preflop.

This is, like, all I do.

Obviously if we're against an ABC calling station fish we can probably just bet/bet/bet (to fold) on most runouts. But against anyone else who is past that level, then I'm rarely betting the flop (and almost never betting two streets in a row) with my face up TP OOP.

Galthough,asothershavesaid,readsarereallynecessary G

I find there's a lot of value in x/c against the aggrotard type player. There's a lot of guys that love to float and the bet when checked to that aren't stationy enough to call with a gutshot a second time.

Seriously? If your opponent is 'past that level', what do you think your range looks like when you're a tight player ck-c KTxx flops and turns? Perceived wider??

Yeah, I mean, I'm sure they're not calling much worse than KJ if I bet again, but if I check, these are the type who like to bet as thin as Tx thinking I cbet ATC and then check when I'm weak...

Isn't this a good enough hand to balance our turn checking range OOP? There are no flush draws and V never has AK.


P.S. Guys, this was 6-handed, is KQo still a fold pre?? It's at the very bottom of my range..

I forgot to add, that when I take a b/c/b line, I've noticed these players call a big river bet FAR wider than when I b/b/b.

A lot wider than if I'm betting it. And even if it takes them a street to figure it out, whatever, I've won the bet that I was unlikely to win by betting it.

Gbutagain,totallyopponentdependentG

You can't tell us you are UTG without mentioning that it is 6-handed. It's not enough information. Actually number of players at the table hardly matters. We need to know that you are in MP/LJ. I am never open-folding this in MP.

I often open KQo UTG full-ring also, but that is table dependent and most would consider it loose. It might be a leak.

Because we don't get very much value. All of villain's Kx is better than ours because K9- doesn't often open UTG. 99- is not calling. There aren't very many Ts in an UTG range. We can get raised by the hands you are worried about catching up. We are only denying villain at most around 15% equity. We have a hand that can call another bet on the river or have a much clearer value bet if villain checks again.