The Poker Quiz

You are seated in a full ring $1/2 NL table.  Most of the table limps in and you look down at KQ on the button.  Feeling that you will get too many callers if you raise, you decide to call and play the flop.  To your delight the flop comes J109, giving you the nut straight.  A player in middle position opens the pot for a $10 bet and the player on his right left to $20.  With two diamonds on the board and a few other players behind you, you bump it up to $50.  The small blind then goes all-in for $300!  Action folds to the player who raised to $20, who comes over the top for $360!

You have both players covered.  What do you do?

The Solution

Call.

This is obviously a must call situation with the nuts, but that does not mean you shouldn't fear K Q . This is a real possibility and the re-draw should scare you. You are relatively sure at least one of your opponents has KQ as well, but since this is a low limit game, it is entirely possible that one of the players that is all-in has a worse straight, a set or a diamond flush draw. Call with the nuts and hope that no one is free rolling with your money in the pot.

I once read an article by Todd Brunson about folding the nuts after the flop in fear of the re-draw in an OMAHA tournament, but if anyone can think of a situation in hold'em where it would be appropriate, post it in the Wise Hand Forums.