K♦9♦ SB vs BTN, preflop, 80 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: K♦9♦
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 80 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, this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet or a steal-response. K♦9♦ is K9 SUITED, a comfortable SB open: the suited king makes the nut-ish flush, blocks KK and AK, and has top-pair and backdoor playability heads-up versus the BB. Open-raise.
Key idea
Suited broadways with a king block premium value combos and flop strong made hands and draws, so they open from the SB rather than fold. Read the suits: same-suit K9 plays far better than offsuit K9.
Common mistake
Misreading K♦9♦ as offsuit and folding, or trying to call: from the SB first-in there is no caller to flat behind, you raise or fold.