poker.yoga

KQo on A♥ 7♦ 2♣ facing a check-raise — fold, call or raise?

The answer

Fold

give up king-high

The math: call $30 to win $70 → need 30% · king-high has almost none of it, and no fold equity against a check-raise.

Why

You fired a c-bet with two overcards that whiffed — K♠Q♦ on A♥7♦2♣ is just king-high, no pair and no real draw. A check-raise here is aces, sets, two pair and the odd strong draw, and your hand beats none of it; even pairing a king or queen still leaves you under every ace. With almost no equity and no fold equity — the big blind isn't letting go of that range to a re-raise — there's nothing to continue with. The solver folds every time.

The spot

Villain · BB
check-raises to $40
POT · $30
A
7
2
K
Q
BTN
$1 / $2 · 100bb
Your seat
BTN
Stakes and stacks
$1 / $2 · 100bb
Your hand
K♠ Q♦
Board
A♥ 7♦ 2♣
Pot
POT · $30
Action on you
BB check-raises to $40

Every option

  • Foldgive up king-highCorrect

  • Callpay $30 to continue

    Why not: Calling pays $30 to chase king-high with barely any equity and no clean outs against a range that has you crushed.

  • Raisere-raise as a bluff

    2.5x · $100 · all-in

    Why not: Re-raising as a bluff folds out nothing — the big blind's check-raising range calls, and you have no equity when it does.

The idea behind it

When your c-bet is pure air and gets check-raised, you hold neither equity nor fold equity: you can't win at showdown and you can't buy the pot. That's an automatic fold.

Concept: Give it up

Terms in this spot

Play it instead of reading it

The trainer deals this hand with hints, grading and spaced repetition — and randomized variations of it once you have seen it.

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