A♦9♣ CO vs BTN, preflop, 100 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♦9♣
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 8 bb
Folded to hero preflop in 6‑max.
What is the strongest default preflop action?
See the answer
Best play: Raise / 3-bet
Why
Folded to hero in the CO, so this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet. A9o sits comfortably inside the CO opening range, which is wide (around 26-28% of hands) because only the BTN, SB and BB remain. Ace-high blocks the strongest hands behind, dominates the many weaker A-x the blinds defend with, and flops top pair often enough to open-raise for value rather than as a pure steal.
Key idea
From the CO with only three players left to act, your opening range widens to include hands like A9o. Open-raise these for value and positional advantage rather than treating them as throwaway bluffs.
Common mistake
Calling here is impossible because no one has raised yet, and folding A9o from the CO is far too tight for a seat this close to the button.