Here are the answers and explanations from our beginner poker quiz.
Question #1
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. The player on the Button opens to $15 and the player in the Big Blind calls. Which hand is least likely to be in the Big Blind’s range after this preflop action?
A: 9♣ 7♣
B: 6♥ 6♣
C: J♠ J♦
Correct answer: C
The player in the Big Blind should be re-raising with all his premium holdings, which includes JJ. Not doing so will make him win less money with these hands over the long term.
Question #2
The pot is $150 and your opponent bets $75. What is your required equity to make a breakeven call?
A: 20%
B: 25%
C: 33%
D: 50%
Correct answer: 25%.
The calculation is: [75 / (75+75+150)] * 100 = 25%
Learn how to calculate pot odds here.
Question #3
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You raise in the cutoff to $15 and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes J♦ 8♣ 6♠. You c-bet $12 and your opponent check-calls.
Which of these hands is least likely to be in your opponent’s range?
A: 8♦ 7♦
B: J♥ 9♥
C: 6♠ 6♣
Correct answer: C
The player in the Big Blind should be check-raising with his strongest value hands, especially when facing a small c-bet like this one. He should be balancing this range with a bunch of straights draws and some double backdoor hands (like K♦ T♦).
Question #4
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You open on the Button to $15 and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes T♥ 9♥ 6♣ and the Big Blind checks.
With which hands should you bet? (Select all that apply.)
A: K♣ T♣
B: K♥ J♠
C: Q♥ 4♥
D: 2♣ 2♦
Correct answers: A, B, and C
K♣ T♣ is a strong top pair hand with which you can extract a lot of value by betting the flop. K♥ J♠ and Q♥ 4♥ both have ample outs to improve, as well as good playability on future streets (which will allow you to double barrel on the turn quite effectively).
Pocket twos are a very weak hand on this flop. With only 2 outs to improve to a strong hand — one of which completes a flush draw — on a very wet board, the only option with this hand is to give up.
Question #5
The pot is $36 and your opponent bets $24. How much equity do you need to make a breakeven call?
A: ~22%
B: ~29%
C: ~40%
D: ~66%
Correct answer: ~29%.
The calculation is: [24 / (24 + 24 + 36)] * 100 = 28.57%
Learn how to calculate pot odds here.
Question #6
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You open on the Button to $15 and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes T♥ 9♥ 6♣. The Big Blind checks, you c-bet $16, and the Big Blind calls. The turn is the 3♦. Which hand should you bet again most frequently?
A: J♦ J♠
B: A♦ 9♦
C: 8♠ 6♠
Correct answer: A
You should continue barreling with a polarized range made of your strongest top pairs and better combined with a range of straight draws and flush draws without showdown value.
Question #7
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. A player in the lojack position opens to $15. It’s folded to you on the button and you look down at KK. What’s your play without any information on your opponent?
A: Call
B: Re-Raise to $30
C: Re-Raise to $45
D: Re-Raise to $60
Correct answer: C
When you are in position, you should be 3-betting to about 3 times your opponent’s raise size. This size puts maximum pressure on a large part of the opener’s range, forcing him to continue with a lot of hands that are very close to 0 EV or fold them and enable you to over-realize your equity with your 3-bet bluffs.
Question #8
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You open on the Button to $15 with pocket jacks and the Big Blind calls. The flop comes T♥ 9♥ 6♣ and the Big Blind checks. You c-bet $16 and the Big Blind calls. The turn is the 3♦. If the Big Blind checks again, which of these bet sizes is most appropriate? (The pot is $64.)
A: Small ($15-24)
B: Medium ($28-34)
C: Large ($40+)
Correct answer: C
When barreling on the turn you should only do so with a very polarized range made out of your strongest hands and most of your draws. The goal is to maximize the size of the pot in order to win the biggest amount possible (to a certain point) with your strong hands.
Using a larger sizing also allows you to bluff more. For these reasons, you should generally lean towards a bet size of at least 66% and upwards of 150% on some board textures. Betting up to $90 would be a good play on this dynamic board texture, but a side around $40 is also fine.
Question #9
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You are in the Lojack position. Which of the following hands should you open-raise with as a standard? (Select all that apply.)
A: A♦ 2♦
B: K♠ T♣
C: 7♥ 7♣
D: T♥ 8♥
Correct answers: A, C
After the invention of preflop solvers, there is no doubt about which hands are profitable to raise even against the toughest line ups. You should memorize some good open-raising ranges and use them as a standard. Here is the lojack raise chart from the Upswing Lab’s solved preflop ranges (adjusted for 100nl PokerStars rake).
If the players behind are particularly weak and/or passive, you can add a hand like T8s into your raising range. As a standard, however, such a hand should be folded.
Learn more about the Upswing Lab’s advanced solver preflop charts here.
Question #10
$2/$5 game with $500 stacks. You are in the Cutoff with A♥ 5♥. The player in the lojack position raises to $15. What’s your play?
A: Fold
B: Call
C: 3-Bet
Correct answer: C
You should be always 3-betting with this hand and A2-A4s as these hands have all the elements of a great 3-betting hand, namely:
- Blockers (to the lojack’s continuing range)
- Equity
- Playability (due to their suitedness and connectivity which gives them the ability to make straight draws and flush draws on the flop).
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