Top 2 pair on wet flop - line check
Looking for a line check as well as a general approach to how I should think about playing this hand.
Live 1-2. I am playing with 2 of my friends who are very novice players. The villain seems like a better 1-2 players. I have already played 2 hands with him in our session so far.
Hand 1: I open early position to 20 with aces. Only villain calls in CO. Flop 235 rainbow. I c-bet 25, he calls. Turn K. I bet 65, he folds.
Hand 2: My friend opens UTG to 20. I call UTG +1 with AhQh. Villain raises on the button to 75 with about 250 behind. My friend folds. I move all-in thinking this villain could be squeezing with a wide range. Villain thinks for ~30 seconds and calls. Board runs out all low cards until a river ace. I show and villain mucks, making some comment that he had me until the river.
--- Onto the hand in question ---
I am in the BB with KcQh. Friend to my left opens to 20. Villain calls in MP. 1 other caller behind villain, I call.
4 ways to the flop with pot ~80.
flop: KQ9 ddd
I check in flow. My friend c-bets 25 with ~100 behind. Villain raises to 75 with about 300 behind. Other player folds.
What's my line here?
My thoughts:
Spoiler
I think villain and I have very similar ranges here - neither of us really has KK or QQ but the occasional bottom set, some 2 pairs, some flushes, and lots and lots of strong draws or pair + draw type hands which can still fold given the fairly low SPR. Thus my thinking was that maximizing fold equity against this big chunk of his range was optimal so moved all in.
Calling seems very tough because there are very few cards that will improve my hand and I will likely face lots of tough turn decisions.
1 Reply
What is going on in this game that your friend is opening to 10bb's? For that price, we don't need to defend our BB with anything but a premium hand. If you're going to continue pre, I think I'd rather turn KQo into a bluff and raise rather than call.
V's raise on the flop should be a pretty strong hand. We're drawing slim against 99 or JT, and chopping with KQ. And we still have your friend in there. It seems unlikely V is raising with worse value or a bluff, if you think he's decent.
I probably rage-fold.
