K♠Q♠ BB vs BTN, turn on K♦ 6♠ 2♥ T♣, 65 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: K♠Q♠
- Board: K♦ 6♠ 2♥ T♣
- Effective stack: 65 bb
- Pot: 14.5 bb
Hero arrives on turn with equity and blocker leverage.
What action realizes the most EV in solver baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
Turn K6 2 T with hero KQ out of position (BB versus BTN): hero holds top pair of kings with a queen kicker plus a gutshot, since a jack brings the T‑J‑Q‑K straight. Check-raising here applies pressure with a hand that is ahead of most of villains continuing range and has clean improvement; it gets value from worse kings and draws while denying the equity of overcards and the broadway draw. Strong top pair with backup outs is a natural part of the OOP raising range.
Key idea
Top pair good kicker with a gutshot is strong enough to check‑raise for value out of position.
Common mistake
Only calling with top pair plus gutshot and missing the value and protection a raise generates.