Poker Quiz Question #6

Q#6: You're playing in a $5/$10 full ring NL cash game.. It is folded to you in the cutoff seat and you hold QhJc. What should you do?

1. Fold
2. Call
3. Raise

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A#6:
To me, the "obvious" answer is to Raise. QJ is a relatively strong hand to steal with, right? Well, usually. I think for small and microstakes, raising is clearly the right play. At these stakes, you generally only get played back at if the villains on the button or in blinds have real hands. In other words, you're going to know if you're up against a real hand if/when you face a re-raise, and can therefore get off the hand. If you get called, and then hit, you're in a +EV situation most of the time, especially against calling station type players at the low stakes.

Now, at the medium stakes games, like this hypothetical $5/$10 game, you're going to likely get 3bet a lot. No, make that: A LOT. Late position raises like yours are generally looked at as the steals that they are, and consequently, you will get re-popped fairly light. In other words, you have to ask yourself if you're willing to cold call or 4bet a RR with this hand. Most of the experts who took this test said that raising is indeed the right play, but a surprisingly large minority of winning pros actually folded here. They reasoned that you are better off stealing with a hand that has two live cards (e.g., 87s), and not RIO hands like this one. Interesting.

For purposes of this bug-version of the test, however, I'm going to say that raising is the correct play.

All-in for now....
-Bug