K♦9♦ BB vs SB, preflop, 105 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: SB
- Your hand: K♦9♦
- Board: preflop, no board yet
- Effective stack: 105 bb
- Pot: 2 bb
Villain opens and action is on hero preflop.
Which action keeps the best EV baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
BB facing an SB open with K9 suited (K and 9 of diamonds). Vs the SB s wide raise the BB defends very wide, and K9s realizes equity well: it makes top pair with the king, holds nut-flush potential in diamonds, and gets a strong price closing the action. Flatting is the EV baseline because it keeps the SB s dominated K-x and junk in the pot and avoids bloating the pot OOP, while a small 3‑bet mix exists for value/blocker balance. Folding a suited, broadway-topped hand this playable for a good price would be far too tight against the SB s wide opening range.
Key idea
Vs an SB open, K9s is a comfortable BB flat: good price, top-pair plus nut-flush potential, and strong realization. A small 3‑bet mix is fine; folding is too tight.
Common mistake
Folding K9s in the BB for a great price, or auto-3-betting it. Flatting realizes its top-pair and nut-flush equity best while keeping the SB s dominated holdings in.