Q♥T♥ BB vs SB, preflop, 90 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: SB
- Your hand: Q♥T♥
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 90 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
Hero holds Q‑T suited (Q♥T♥, a suited two-gapper-free Broadway connector) in the BB and it folds to hero, so this is a first-in open, not a 3‑bet. QTs has two Broadway cards, straight and flush potential, and clean equity against any wide calling range, putting it solidly inside the opening range from this seat. Raising lets you take the pot now or play a connected, disguised hand postflop.
Key idea
Suited Broadway connectors like QTs are automatic first-in opens: they combine high-card value with straight and flush upside, exactly the profile you want to raise when folded to.
Common mistake
Limping or folding a clean suited Broadway, or mislabeling the open as a 3‑bet bluff when nobody has raised.