Top Pair vs a Check-Raise, what do you do here?
DECISION POINT: It folds to you on the Button with A♣7♥ and you raise. Both Blinds call. The flop comes A♠2♠Q♦. Both Blinds check and you make a continuation bet of half the pot. The Small Blind check-raises to 2.5x your bet. Action is on you, what do you do?
PRO ANSWER: We raised the Button and were called by both the Small Blind and the Big Blind. On the coordinated board of As2sQd, our continuation bet was check-raised by the Small Blind.
This check-raise in a multiway pot (the Big Blind was still in the hand at the time of the check-raise) represents a stronger range of hands than if the check-raise occurred in a heads-up pot. This means the Small Blind is less likely to be making this play with a wide range of hands and is more likely to have a strong made hand or a draw. In addition, this check-raise represents a significant portion of the Small Blind’s stack, further reducing the likelihood that this is a weak hand or a bluff.
Our A7 offsuit is behind the Small Blind’s range of hands given those assumptions and we should fold our hand on the flop. Recognizing situations where your opponents are likely to have narrow hand ranges is crucial in avoiding losing chips unnecessarily.
You should fold here and move on to the next hand.
How would you play it?
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