Q♦J♦ CO vs BTN, flop on Q♣ 9♦ 5♠, 80 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: Q♦J♦
- Board: Q♣ 9♦ 5♠
- Effective stack: 80 bb
- Pot: 12 bb
Hero chooses between call, raise, and controlled passivity.
What action keeps the highest practical EV?
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
On Q♣9♦5♠ this is a CO-favorable board, but you are still out of position, so leading is off the table and you check to the BTN. Your Q♦J♦ flopped top pair (a pair of queens) with a strong jack kicker plus a backdoor diamond draw. Check‑raise the BTN's c‑bet for value: you beat all the worse queens, second-pair nines and floats, and raising from OOP both charges those draws and builds the pot now while you hold a clear made hand.
Key idea
Top pair with a good kicker out of position wants to check‑raise to charge draws and build the pot before scary turns arrive.
Common mistake
Just check-calling top pair OOP lets free turn cards complete draws and forfeits value the BTN would pay across two streets.