25-- PF: Call a Minraise w/ KT OTB?

[TomBrooks]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

MP ($2.25)
CO ($8.60)
Hero ($44.45)
SB ($26.45)
BB ($25)
UTG ($36.30)

It's only an itty bitty minraise. Should I call with KTo OTB?

Preflop: Hero is Button with T/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to $0.5</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, CO calls $0.50, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>.

Flop: ($1.35) 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, CO checks.

[Genz]

Don't be results oriented. KTo is a trouble hand is difficult to play in a raised pot. Being OTB can tilt this towards a call. But I need a read that there is a lot of loose raising going on so that I can be fairly sure that my hand is ahead of villains range most of the times.

[carnivalhobo]

lol at showing the flop.

i probably call here

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't be results oriented.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well I just showed the flop for illustration purposes, but I realize the flop wouldn't always be this good for me, but KT can make some decent hands on many flops and it's only a min raise.

I fold this in limit every time versus a raise (might cold call w/ KTs) but in NL I'm not sure if the implied odds are working more in my favor or if the reverse implied odds make this a hand I should want to toss even more.

[Genz]

I think KTo is VERY marginal because of the tremendous kicker trouble that you will find yourself in repeatedly. Especially against raises. I don't think it's worth it against a raise and a call. HU against a loose raiser maybe. But you aren't in a good spot when you hit a K with this hand (unless you play a hu match etc. etc.).

[JadeRedstone]

playing KTo to a raise you're even happy to see 2 pairs. So basically you aiming for a str8...

[Caelallaiach]

A minraise can quite often mean that the Villain wants action with a big pocket pair and when people call with hands like KT, KJ it actually works because if they hit the K, they inevitably put in quite a lot of money until they find out it is no good. This is a pre flop fold for sure I think, call with suited connectors or even better a pocket pair instead and stack them if you hit the flop with two pair or better.

[illuminati]

fold, reverse implied odds bad, 2-gapped offsuit cards are usually bad.

[Frosteater]

But couldn't a minraise also mean that the villain doesn't have a clue what he's doing?
If there's a chance that might be the case, I'd raise here.

Since I'm the first to bring in this option, I assume it's probably wrong, but why?
We're on the button where we play a wider range, anyway, and we want to protect the button. If OP would open for 4BB with that hand on the button, wouldn't it make sense to raise here to 6-8BB and either take down the pot immediately or (if villain calls) make sure, we're up against that big PP?

[barryc83]

I call if it was soooooooooooooooooooted especially since effective stacks are 160 bb.

[illuminati]

Frost,

When playing against people who know what day of the week it is, this is ok to vary your play. However, he it utg which important with regards to likely ranges. Obviously he is a retard, but KTo really is thin. Suited I think it's fine, and KJ+ is also fine.

[Caelallaiach]

Okay it obviously depends on the raising standards of the UTG player but without reads I fold KJo, KQo and AJo as I believe that we are generally behind Villain's range and are quite likely to be dominated against a standard player.

It's much better to call here with hands like 67s or 33 because we can never hit a good second best hand. We will hit two pair or better and get all our money in, other than that we can probably just fold (against someone who c-bets a lot, we might float the flop occasionally).

This is a standard application of the gap concept, it keeps you out of tough marginal situations that can lose you a lot of money. Fold trap hands like KT,KJ,KQ,AT,AJ (AQ too if the raiser is tight!) to early position raises and I promise you things will be better for you in the long run.

[ben wb]

I fold preflop, maybe call with KTs, but if they'd both limped I'd raise.

[Roadstar]

Fold preflop. If you had reads and knew minraiser and caller were bad players, you could reraise to squeeze them out.

I used to call min raises very liberally too, until I realized if I did that 5 times every 100 hands, it would cost me not much less than 10BBs because each time you're looking to flop 2 pair+, which I think, is something like 10-1.

KKx is good but not terrific flop for you, you're looking for TTx /images/graemlins/smile.gif