A♣5♣ SB vs BTN, flop on Q♣ 9♦ 5♠, 80 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♣5♣
- Board: Q♣ 9♦ 5♠
- Effective stack: 80 bb
- Pot: 3 bb
Blind dynamics and position advantage define the strategic baseline.
Which line is strongest against balanced population tendencies?
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
On Q♣9♦5♠ hero flops bottom pair of fives plus an ace overcard, a backdoor club draw, and a backdoor wheel draw, OOP in the SB versus the BTN. With the pot tiny (3bb) and the board favoring the IP raiser's Qx, check-raising is a strong semi-bluff: the ace blocker plus pair-and-overcard equity pressure villain's many missed broadway and small-pair c‑bets while keeping real outs if called.
Key idea
A made pair plus overcard and backdoors makes a fine OOP check‑raise: you have equity when called and fold out villain's air.
Common mistake
Just check-calling bottom pair and letting villain freely barrel you off the best hand on later streets OOP.