BB Preflop Cold Call Rainbow

Overview

BB Preflop Cold Call Rainbow is a poker scenario where a player in the big blind (BB) calls a raise before the flop (preflop) while holding a hand that is not suited (rainbow). The term combines three elements:

• BB: The big blind position, which posts a forced bet and acts last preflop.
• Preflop Cold Call: Calling a raise when you have not yet voluntarily put money into the pot (though from the big blind, you have a blind investment, making it technically a 'defend' rather than a pure cold call).
• Rainbow: In preflop context, a hand with two cards of different suits (e.g., A♠ K♦) as opposed to suited (e.g., A♠ K♠).

Strategic Considerations

Calling a raise from the big blind with a rainbow hand is common when defending against a steal or when holding a strong offsuit hand like AK, AQ, or KQ. However, rainbow hands lack flush potential, which reduces their postflop playability. The big blind's position out of position (OOP) further compounds the disadvantage. Players typically defend with a wide range from the BB due to getting a discount, but rainbow offsuit hands are often marginal and require careful postflop play.

Example

A player in the BB faces a 3x raise from the cutoff. They choose to call with A♣ Q♥ (rainbow). This is a BB preflop cold call rainbow scenario. The hand is strong but unsuited, and the player will act first on all subsequent streets.

Related Terms

• Cold Call: Calling a raise without having put money in previously.
• BB Defense: The range of hands a big blind uses to call or raise against an open.
• Suited vs Offsuit: Suited hands have two cards of the same suit; offsuit (rainbow) do not.