9♠8♠ CO vs BTN, flop on K♠ J♠ 7♥, 90 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: 9♠8♠
- Board: K♠ J♠ 7♥
- Effective stack: 90 bb
- Pot: 6 bb
Hero chooses between call, raise, and controlled passivity.
What action keeps the highest practical EV?
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
On K♠J♠7♥, hero (CO) is OUT OF POSITION versus the BTN with 9♠8♠ — a strong combo draw: the nut-ish spade flush draw (9♠8♠ plus K♠J♠) plus an open-ended straight draw (7‑8‑9 needs the 6 or T). This is a premium semi-bluff with no showdown value, so check-raising the BTN c‑bet is best: huge equity when called and real fold equity now, far better than passively peeling OOP.
Key idea
A flush draw plus open-ended straight draw is a premium semi-bluff: check‑raise it OOP for fold equity now and big equity when called.
Common mistake
Passively check-calling a big combo draw OOP, surrendering fold equity and letting the opponent realize equity for free.