Q♣5♦ BB vs BTN, preflop, 100 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: Q♣5♦
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 4 bb
HU 100bb. BTN opens 3bb (rather than min-raise), BB to act with Q5o.
Best HU defense line with Q5o facing a 3x open?
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
Principle: HU BB defense at MDF requires defending a wider range than 6‑max because villain opens wider. Applied to Q5o vs BTN 3x: pot odds + position-vs-aggression realization rate yield enough equity to defend. So: call — folding overfolds at MDF and trains BTN to widen further; 3-betting is dominated vs the value tail of their range.
Key idea
Heads-up the BB closes the action with great pot odds, so even raggy queen-high like Q5o is a call rather than a fold against a wide BTN open.