Q♥T♥ CO vs BTN, preflop, 70 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: Q♥T♥
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 70 bb
- Pot: 6.5 bb
Folded to hero preflop in 6‑max.
What is the strongest default preflop action?
See the answer
Best play: Raise / 3-bet
Why
Action is folded to hero in CO, so this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet. Q♥T♥ is a suited broadway with two-way straight and flush potential, comfortably inside the CO RFI range (~25-27%); opening it pressures the blinds and lets you flop strong, playable equity. Raise is the value-and-steal default here.
Key idea
Suited broadways like QTs are core CO opens because they make top pairs, flushes, and straights while folding out blind equity. First-in means you choose open or fold, never call.
Common mistake
Treating this as a 3‑bet decision. Nobody has raised, so there is nothing to 3‑bet or flat; the only real choice is open or fold.