K♣Q♣ Facing a Check-Raise, what do you do here?
DECISION POINT: In a Tournament, a weaker player limps Under the Gun and you raise K♣Q♣ to isolate them. On a 3-way 7♠7♣2♦ flop, the UTG player check-raises your c-bet. Action is on you, what do you do here?
PRO ANSWER: The fact that Villain is a weaker player makes raising preflop to isolate them a very attractive play. On the flop, c-betting will be profitable due to our range advantage against both opponents. A smaller c-bet size would likely be more profitable in the long run, although this sizing is not a large mistake.
Once our c-bet gets raised, we should simply fold our hand. Weaker players will generally not check-raise bluff with the frequency needed for us to continue with our overcards and backdoor flush draw.
Continued below...
Against a tougher or more GTO opponent, we should continue by calling. Our hand has the ability to turn equity and we must defend against the flop check-raise with an appropriate frequency in order to not be exploited. This hand is a good one to include in the range with which we will defend against the check-raise.
When Villain is a weaker player, that is far less of a concern. Their range is likely very value heavy, meaning they will rarely bluff in this spot.
Folding is the best play.
How would you play it?
Share your answer in the comments below!
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