K5s What to do

[arborman]

Looks to me like a failed steal attempt - I'd let it go without more information.

[Aaron W.]

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Looks to me like a failed steal attempt - I'd let it go without more information.

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That's a bit weak-tight. Do you always fold top pair no kicker for one bet?

[AAlphamale]

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That's a bit weak-tight. Do you always fold top pair no kicker for one bet?

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Meh.. there's 3-flush on the flop. It's likely that the bettor has a flush, a better king or at least a flush draw so there are very bad reversed implied odds. There are better situations to come...

But also, no one should be playing hands like K5s, they only cause trouble.

[ckj]

He generally doesn't have a flush here. I expect him to have a single spade, either the A or Q 90% of the time. If the BB folded, then call, down and c/f if another spade hits. Maybe raise a non-spade turn.

[bellatrix]

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But also, no one should be playing hands like K5s, they only cause trouble.

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It's called stealing and it's a GREAT hand to steal with.

[Befolder]

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But also, no one should be playing hands like K5s, they only cause trouble.

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It's called stealing and it's a marginal hand to steal with.

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FYP

It's great if the blinds are tight, but then again if that's the case, ATC is a great hand to steal with. Against experienced defenders, it's probably a losing hand long term.

[Douglas Leslie]

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That's a bit weak-tight. Do you always fold top pair no kicker for one bet?

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Meh.. there's 3-flush on the flop. It's likely that the bettor has a flush, a better king or at least a flush draw so there are very bad reversed implied odds. There are better situations to come...

But also, no one should be playing hands like K5s, they only cause trouble.

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Surely at 6 max you have to be trying to steal the blinds with hands like this? Mind you, going by my results in my comparatively limited 6 max attempts, that could be a leak on my part!
Without reads, calling down seems reasonable (folding if another spade appears) and always bet if checked to. Let him keep betting second pair if that is what he has. Raising here seems to me to be "raising for info syndrome" with the usual problem that you don't know what info you have got if villain 3 bets you.

[arborman]

Good point. No I don't - depends on the players and the board. But with this kind of board I'd let it go.

[LateFlag]

This is a 100% standard steal attempt, and you flopped top pair. Folding is out of the question for now.

As I see it, there are three reasonable lines, assuming BB has folded and the pot is now heads-up:

1. Raise the flop, and bet a non-spade turn. This line has the advantage of getting in a raise against a very likely draw. It also might get paid off by something like middle pair that puts you on the flush draw. It has the disadvantage of immediately snapping of a bluff if villain is getting cute with the monotone board.

2. Call the flop and raise a non-spade turn. This line gets the absolute maximum from a flush draw. It might even fold out a small spade, which would be nice. The disadvantage is that villain might wuss out and not lead the turn.

3. Call the flop, call a non-spade turn. Passively calling down is sometimes the best line in HU pots. Monotone boards sometimes represent irresistable opportunities for villains to run three-barrel bluffs. It would be a shame to talk villain out of such a line. The obvious disadvantage is that calling down misses value from draws and weak pairs that would pay off a raise.

IMO, 2 > 3 > 1, but that's just me, and there's some merit in any of these approaches, and HU play allows you to mix up your postflop lines. The main thing is that you absolutely cannot fold this flop, and you should be tentatively planning on getting to showdown unless another spade hits or unless villain 3-bets you on the turn (if you go that route).

[Second Toughest]

It all depends on what BB did. I'd call one bet, but not two.