So we all know in poker many questions are answered by "it depends." However, lets try to figure out if this is a leak in my game and how to best plug it.

In a 2/3 NLH game with ~$400 in chips(some people have less and others have a bit more), in a generally passive game, and we get KQs our next move is:

-Open 90% or more of the time because its a passive game

-limp it all day

-fold cuz KQs UTG is garbage and we dont want to play a big pot out of position

In the past I have either limped or folded because of my nitness. Playing out of position is not my style and dont want to build big pots with KQ. In position of course its a raisable hand.

So lets discuss, thx.

Lately I've been more open to limping this. Originally I think I had a hard time doing this cuz everywhere you look everyone is preaching aggressive poker and never open limping and blah blah blah, and I've just come to realize that in my game open limping is, frankly, perfectly fine. My typical goal here is to get into a multiway pot for cheap, flop a hand, and get paid off by morons who can't fold mediocre hands. I also hate playing hands in a bloated pot OOP (especially one that might end up multiway), and especially hands like this which could easily be dominated.

The drawback is that we'll be OOP (which makes playing it and getting paid off postflop harder) but I'm guessing it's still profitable enough to get into a pot here with since it plays well multiway. I'm basically taking this line with most suited broadway (apart from the powerhouses which I would consider raising) from EP (while dumping the offsuit weak broadways, including AJo/KQo).

Gbutthat'smeG

Like I said in your thread I think it depends on the game. If its a generally passive game with nobody really giving you a tough time then easy open all day. If the game is a bit tougher and people will put you to the test (game not even be worth playing) then it's not a bad idea to play slightly cautious up front.

Ugh I hate that spot. I used to open it, but I think it's just too hard to show a profit with it. It feels nitty, but I think folding might be the best option. It's table dependent obviously. If there's a megafish in the blinds, I probably open it and for a fair amount.

I'll add that if you have any trouble letting go of a one pair kind of hand, then you should fold immediately.

Find the same with it as well, hard to show a profit. Usually just fold it, or open on the rare occasion if I've been carddead for ages. I used to limp with it early and snagged crappy Kxs/Qx/ quite a bit but LP's will call a raise with those hands pre anyway and you got an inflated pot with the same strong equity vs those garbage hands.

If you have a lot of LP's on your table that pay off with those weaker K's and Q's then go ahead and open but if you have at least 2 half decent players sitting late when you're UTG then they're gonna exploit that by 3-betting ridiculously after the rest of the table has called your open, and most of your perceived range is in a wtf spot so it's hard to continue there. All in all you could balance opening/folding KQs to maximize equity vs lp fish and expand your utg range vs more credible players and hope to get 3bet more often if you're getting called often.

Serio KQs is a monster have you the hands people play?

Your focus should be on hands that make top pair in weak games(all of llsnl). You be opening KQ,KJ all day from early position. Opening K10s+ and AJs+, Q10s+.

seat/table change if opening KQs becomes -ev imo

Typically I'd open with this to 10-12 all day and cbet close to 100%. B/f is your friend in passive games from any position. You can always slow down if you pick up something from a nit.

Sounds like someone has to be a very good player to profit from opening KQ and at the appropiate table.

Even the nity'est player can profit from KQs in ep.

Yet another horrific quote from ILCD.

Opening here is only a leak if you're going to get yourself in trouble postflop when you hit tpgk and are outkicked or against a 2 pair type hand. You have to bear in mind that a lot of llsnl players won't 3-bet AK, let alone AQ preflop, so your opponents aren't going to make it easy for you to find out when you're dominated. Basically you have to fold whenever you miss and proceed cautiously when you hit tpgk (I probably c/c or b/f most K94r type boards).

Of course, if the table is playing pretty passively you can make it easier on yourself by open limping it for all the reasons GG articulated so well, and it makes life a lot simpler if you can get away with it (i.e., when you're unlikely to get raised pre). If I open limp it and someone raises, I just go home.

It's table dependent but unless I'm at an uncharacteristically aggro table, I probably never open fold.

Just my 2c, fwiw (which probably isn't much).

You don't have to be Phil Ivey though, just better than the passive nits at your table. Obv if everyone calls you can't cbet every flop. And when you notice anyone at the table with the ability to bluff you need to slow down even more, especially from EP.

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I like a limp here. You have a top tier hand as far as limping ranges go, and a lot of weaker hands are sure to follow. Utg raise here is suicide. Its very rare u get 8 folds when opening utg so you're more than likely going to be OOP.

I'm limping here all day long and sometimes raising it pre. From middle and late raise it up all day long. Kq should probably be the bottom of ur range from early though. People play too many dominated hands like any suited king or queen that folding is a crime. Bet fold ur top pair all day

I am raising to $12+ 100% of the time with KQs from UTG. Limping it is way too nitty for me, though I could go for a limp/reraise in the right situation

Open > fold > limp. Limping is only permissible if you plan on taking mostly c/c and c/f lines postflop with your 1pr no draw or worse hands; trying to get KQhh to hold up oop multiway on a Q78ss board is just torching money

Just open and cbet judiciously; fold if you're gonna get 3bet a lot from LP but never because you're afraid too many stations will try and give you their money by calling with rags and folding all the flops they whiff

At a loose passive table I would raise KQs utg, you dominate most of the Kx Qx junk recreational players will call with. At table with lots of aggressive 3betting, I might fold it utg and only open it from MP. It also depends on who is in the blinds, if you have 2 calling stations in the blinds it is definitely worth raising. I am in the camp of never open limping.

i probably used to open this all day long, but i never put in real work on my holdem game. so there is not really consensus thus far. i think i´m a pretty good player postflop, so i dont mind playing this hand oop, even multiway. might be a leak though...

leads me to the next question, which amount should we open for? to get it possibly HU and can play your TP hands, or to get it multiway and hope to cooler someone since this hand flops very well?

i think i cant be convinced to just open muck KQs tough, not yet

Usually in LLSNL there is your typical fish in the blinds who calls to much and over values there hands. If you aren't ready in position of these type players then move to a seat where you will have position on them.

Opening utg accomplishes thinning the field and isoing the fish in the blinds who you do have position on. I open this hand for 8-12 all day long.

Its game dependent, but $8-$12 is suicide where I play.

Of course the standard answer here is "it depends". Where I play this is typically gunna thin out the field, it may not work at where you play.

I did just notice that the blinds are 2/3 when I am referring to a 1/2 game, raise is gunna be closer to 14-18 now that I have re read that part

In mygame, on most nights I can make it 10BB and COUNT on 2 callers+.

Cant believe people are advocating limping or folding this hand.

raise to $10-13. If you can't do that profitably, just fold and sit out until you get a table change.