50-200NL: KQs makes top pair. Two questions.

[TripleH68]

50-200NL Live, blinds 1-2.

First question. I arrive at the casino around 1:00am and am seated in a full game. As I look around to assess stack sizes I see 500, 400, 300, 250, 350, etc. Seven of the other nine players at the table had stack sizes over 200. The player next to me mentioned that the guy who just left was a fishy and had dumped about 1300 around the table. Lots of $$$ for me to win, but is there any specific strategy I should employ the first few orbits?

Second question. Hero has K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] in CO. Three limpers, hero raises to $10, two folds, BB raises to $25, folds back to hero who calls.

<font color="blue">BB has about 550, hero has 190 to start the hand. No solid read yet on villain, but he seems experienced, confident and TAG. He hasn't seen me play a hand past the flop yet.</font>

Flop($57): Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].

BB bets $40, hero ?

Give me a good line here? What am I thinking?

[cs3]

1) just play your regular game, and pay attention to every hand, even when your not oinvolved in the pot.

2) i just call the flop, see what happens on the turn

[albinp]

I dont call a 3bet with KQs vs an unknown TAG opponent

[chris269]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont call a 3bet with KQs vs an unknown TAG opponent

[/ QUOTE ]

[orange]

I call that 3bet all day. KQs is a nice hand in position and the reraise isnt really that large.

I would call the flop with the intention of folding the turn alot I think if he leads again.

edit: also, if your gut tells you to stack off, I wouldnt mind it either. Probably not the best spot to do it though. had it been like Kxx or whatever I might reconsider.

[ptartaglio]

I agree with CS3, play your normal game.

I don't see any reason to increase the pot size and play a big pot with KQs I would just limp or I would try to steal. So your raise should be a steal or to try to get heads up against a loose limper. I think your preflop raise is too small to accomplish a steal. I usually like to raise with KQ in late position when I stand a good chance to pickup all of the limpers money or if I can get a heads against a loose preflop player who is tight postflop. I would raise to either $12 or $14. Those couple extra dollars will make a big difference in most games.

Since the preflop raise was mostly a steal I would fold to the 3bet preflop. If I did call I would hope for a miracle. You can assume his hand range is going to usually be at the bare miniumum AQ-AK, JJ-AA. You are going to have to make tough decisions against that hand range with KQs.

Now the BB bets $40, you are now committing almost a third of stack, if you call here you are pretty much committing yourself to the hand. So do you want to commit $165 with KQ. The board is somewhat cordinated and good for your opponents hand range.

If he has AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AQ you are drawing slim.
If he has AK you are way ahead.

Most of the time you are going to be way behind, muck and wait for a better spot.

[TripleH68]

[ QUOTE ]
I call that 3bet all day. KQs is a nice hand in position and the reraise isnt really that large.

I would call the flop with the intention of folding the turn alot I think if he leads again.

edit: also, if your gut tells you to stack off, I wouldnt mind it either. Probably not the best spot to do it though. had it been like Kxx or whatever I might reconsider.

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't think there was any choice but to call the 3-bet preflop. I am in bad shape against AA,AK,AQ,KK,QQ. Without more of a read I don't think villain is going to isolate me here OOP without a strong hand, but I am getting 3:1 on a call of just $15.

On the flop I felt in a real pickle. It was very unlikely villain would just give up on this flop regardless of his holding. My plan was to call the flop and reevaluate on the turn. The only reasonable hand villain has that is drawing is TT though, so it felt like a tough decision.

[ptartaglio]

You are getting 3 to 1 but you are pretty much throwing it away because you will never know where you are at without becoming pot committed.