A♣4♣ SB vs BTN, preflop, 90 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♣4♣
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 90 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
Folded to hero in the SB with A♣4♣, this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet bluff. The SB has no one left to act except the BB, so it raises a fairly wide, polarized range, and A4 SUITED is a prime open: the ace blocks villain's premiums, the wheel and nut-flush draws give it disguised playability, and it dominates the worse A-x the BB defends. Open-raise; folding a suited ace from the SB leaks EV.
Key idea
From the SB first-in, suited wheel aces like A4s open-raise: the ace blocker plus nut-flush and wheel potential make them prime opening hands, not 3‑bets.
Common mistake
Calling A♣4♣ a 3‑bet bluff when no one has opened, or folding a suited ace that is a standard SB open.