A♦9♣ SB vs BTN, preflop, 100 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♦9♣
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 3.5 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, so this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet. A♦9♣ (A9 offsuit) is comfortably inside the SB raise-first-in range, which is very wide because only the BB is left; the ace gives a top-pair and a blocker to AA/AK, and stealing the blinds with initiative is clearly profitable. Hero opens (raises).
Key idea
In the SB folded to you, offsuit aces such as A9 offsuit are standard opens; the seat range is wide and the ace blocker plus top-pair potential carry the raise.
Common mistake
Treating A9 offsuit as too weak to open in the SB, or describing the raise as a 3‑bet. First-in, it is a clear open-raise to steal.