This is my first post, so hopefully i do this right...

I play regularly at a local poker house where I'm from. They add a weird element to the game once a month. It's called the Best Hand Weekend. Throughout the month, they rake the pot and compile the money into 8 payouts. They play from Friday afternoon, until Monday about 9am. The top 8 best hands (quads, straight flushes, etc) each get $1000. It usually fills the 3 table poker room for the weekend. This element plays a BIG part in the hand I'm questioning.

This is Sunday night, about 9pm. The lowest 'best hand' is AAAKK at this time.

I dont have much history with the villian, he's an older guy, well liked, but I havent gotten to play with him much. I've been told he is on the tighter side, but also has been known to gamble....making my spot super terrible.

About an hour before my question hand, he and I got it AI on a AJ8r board with me holding AK vs his AQ.

The hand:
$1/$3 blinds. Hero has about $620, villian reloaded earlier and has $315.
Hero is on the button with KQ
A very solid reg raises from early position to $10.
Folds to Hero on button, calls.
Villain calls from BB.

Flop ($31)
Q 8 5
All players check.

Turn ($31)
Q
Villain checks
Reg bets $20
Hero calls
Villain makes it $120
Reg folds
Hero?

This is such a sick spot. If it wasn't the best hand weekend, this would be an instafold. And knowing he plays pretty straightforward, a flush looks unlikely because he didnt bet the turn. Thoughts?

I know this sounds too nitty, but what is a very solid reg opening range from early position?

Fold, you are only beating an aggressively played QJ-. Your opponent's image is tight and while he may gamble, my guess is when HU.

PF - if the regular is shallow, < 100 bbs, folding to an EP raise is probably not bad, especially if he is unknown.

OTF - B/F $20.

The solid reg's opening range isnt awfully wide, but he has shown tendency to get out of line.

I only like a PF call if villain doesn't c-bet 100% (which appears to be the case) and we're going to bet at some flops when the other 2 guys check - especially when we hit top freaking pair. It's so gross to see a 2 on the turn and now 77 is the winner.

TBH, the promotion really doesn't come into play here. It is $100 to you and at very best, you're 44:1 against hitting quads. A flush doesn't win the bonus.

KQs is not a calling hand pf. Fold pf and fold to the raise on the turn.

You would fold KQs pre for $10 OTB? Def fold to the turn raise but for fk's sake don't fold pre flop. In fact a 3 bet is not entirely out of the question here

Leak...calling KQ pre is bad...specially from utg solid player

Not folding

I don't get why the best hand thing plays a roll. You can't make a best hand by the sounds of it.

I fold. I don't think you can count on this guy thinking "he wouldn't check back the flop with a strong hand" and bluff you here with AsX. I think it's just a donk that has the nuts and was hoping to get min value by letting every one check again, but you didn't comply and he got to c/r his nuts.

I really don't see him checking twice to c/r AsX. I think he just calls or leads Qx most the time. I think he has a boat/flush here a tonne.

Why do people do this? "A $10 bet OTB"? This is no-limit poker, you can't just think one street at a time. Sure, OTB has some equity to it. The $10 is irrelevant. If it's profitable for $10, it's probably profitable for $20. But, you have to think about the flop, turn and river and this hand can have RIO.

Folding would certainly be fine against a tight EP opening range. Calling is probably fine too cause it is suited, and you do have position.

Why didn't you bet the flop? You have tpgk in position on a drawy board and the pfr has checked. As played, I'm never folding the turn. Since you checked the flop it looks like you have nothing and are taking a stab at the pot. I'm calling the turn raise and calling almost all rivers.

Villain would have to be in the top 1% of live players skill-wise to make folding KQs otb the right play. Most live players suck and play their hands face up. We can rep so many hands and control the pot with our position. I'm probably never folding this hand in this position ever.

One of three things can happen on the flop.

1. He misses, you miss and you push him off the hand. In that case, your cards didn't matter.

2. He hits, you miss. In LLSNL, you'll never get him off TP. You won't get to SD so your cards don't matter.

3. He hits and you hit. Neither of you are folding. The problem is most of the time it will be a TP vs. TP situation. Unless you believe he's raising KT or QT pf in EP, you're going to lose that battle more than you will win.

Think beyond absolute strength. Think about flops that don't improve the villain but could vastly improve a different hand while leaving the villain with a good hand. Pokerstove is a great tool to play with hands and situations.

One hint. If you knew a player had AA, would you rather have KK or 75s?