Here are the answers and explanations from the Instagram quiz (part 2).
Question #1
You're playing $2/$5 with $500 stacks. The button opens to $15, the small blind 3-bets to $50, and the action is on you in the big blind. What's your play with A♣️ K♣️? ($500 stacks, SB is new to the table).
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The correct answer is to 4-bet to $125. Your hand is strong compared to the SB’s 3-betting range and thus wants to re-open the action hoping to get a call and doesn’t mind if it gets a shove as it can always call.
Question #2
You sit down at a $5/$10 table and get dealt Q♦️ T♦️ on the button. The player in the cutoff ($1,000 stack) open-raises to $30. Only you call. The flop is 9♦️ 8♥️ 3♣️ and your opponent bets $40. What's your play?
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Both calling and raising small are correct. In practice, you will need to figure out which type of opponent you have in front of you. Calling will basically always be +EV, but if you think your opponent's range is on the weaker side, you can just always raise his bet to $80-$110.
Question #3
You sit down at a $2/$5 table and get dealt 7♥️ 8♥️ after posting your first big blind. The player in the cutoff ($500 stack) open-raises to $15. Only you call. The flop is T♥️ 5♥️ 3♣️ and the action checks through. The turn is the 6♠️. What's your play?
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The correct answer to bet large. You should bet big because you have a hand without showdown value that wants to put a lot of pressure on a capped range and also build the pot for when the flush completes.
Question #4
You sit down at a $2/$5 table and get dealt K♠️ K♥️ after posting your first big blind. The player on the button ($500 stack) open-raises to $15. You 3-bet to $55 and the button calls. The flop is 7♠️ 7♣️ 6♣️. What's your play?
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The correct answer is to bet small. The button has a lot of weak hands that are barely good enough to call a small bet (hands such as QJ of spades). This means that you will put further pressure on him as he is forced to move to the turn with a weak and wide range with which he can make mistakes against your hand.
Question #5
You're on the button in a cash game and the cutoff open-raises to 3 big blinds (100bbs deep, no solid reads). Which hand would you rather 3-bet with: ATo or 65s?
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The correct answer is 65s. While ATo has good blockers, it will also get called by a bunch of Ax hands that will dominate it’s kicker postflop. 65s on the other hand will not suffer from frequent domination and also has a lot more playability as it can more easily hit both straight draws and flush draws on the flop.
Question #6
You're playing $5/$10 at the Aria. On your first hand at the table, the button opens to $30. You call in the big blind with A♣️ 5♣️. The flop comes 7♦️ 7♦️ 3♣️. You check and the button bets $35. What's your play?
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The correct answer is to check-call. This hand is just strong enough to call a small-ish bet given that the board is super dry and the hand has both backdoor flush and straight draws on top of the showdown that it has with the Ace.
Question #7
You are playing $2/$5 at a casino. Middle position opens to $15. You are holding A♥️ 2♥️ on the button. What's your play?
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The correct answer is to 3-bet. This hand has good blockers and great playability, being able to hit both straight draws and flush draws on the flop. It’s a perfect candidate for 3-bet bluffing.
Question #8
You are playing $2/$5 at The Bellagio. Middle position opens to $15 and the button calls. You are in the big blind with 5♥️ 3♥️. What's your play?
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The correct answer is to call. You have good pot odds given that you have one big blind already invested into the pot, and your hand has great playability. It's a must defend in this situation.
Question #9
You are playing $5/$10 at the casino. The cutoff opens to $25. You are on the button with T♣️ 9♣️. What's your move?
Reads: Both players in the blinds are passive and seem inexperienced.
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Both calling and 3-betting are acceptable answers, but calling is a bit better when the blinds are passive and inexperienced.
Here's why it's close between the two options: On the one hand, the hand has great playability in both single raised pots and 3-bet pots, though it doesn’t really have great blockers to the cutoff's 3-bet calling range. That being said, it doesn’t do super well when you get squeezed after calling. This is why you should make your decision based on the players behind you: if they are more passive you should call; if they are more aggressive, you should 3-bet.
Question #10
You are playing $5/$10 at Caesar's Palace. The action folds to you in the small blind with 9♠️ 7♠️. What's your play?
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Both limping and raising are acceptable options. The hand is suited and connected; you cannot fold these types of hands in the SB. Playing a limping strategy is more complex but slightly higher EV while playing a raise-only strategy is simpler and slightly lower EV.
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