Part: Part Nine - Inflection Points: M, Q & the Zones

Be the first one in

Pre-flop
Blinds 400 / 800 (100 ante)Pot 2,100 (2.6 BB)Your M = 9 • Orange zoneCOQ♣J♣● 18,900 (23.6 BB)YOUfirst to actSB● 18,900 (23.6 BB)posts 400 (0.5 BB)BB● 18,900 (23.6 BB)posts 800 (1 BB)D

Orange zone (M 9). It folds to you on the cutoff with Q♣J♣.

Orange zone, folded to you on the cutoff with Q♣J♣. Best?

WhyRaise - be the first one in. The cardinal rule of the Orange zone: enter with a raise, never a limp. Q-J suited from the cutoff is a fine first-in hand, and raising keeps the fold equity that wins the blinds and antes uncontested.
What happensYou raise first-in; the blinds fold.  First in, with aggression.
The recurring Orange-zone rule: be the first player to enter the pot, and enter raising. Limping surrenders the fold equity that's the whole point of acting at this stack depth.

Be the first one in - enter pots with a raise, not a limp, so you keep the fold equity that wins uncontested pots.