A♥7♥ BTN vs BB, flop on J♠ 7♠ 4♣, 80 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♥7♥
- Board: J♠ 7♠ 4♣
- Effective stack: 80 bb
- Pot: 8.5 bb
Single-raised pot, hero is in position after raising preflop.
What sizing is best in baseline strategy?
See the answer
Best play: Bet 33% pot
Why
Flop, single-raised pot, hero in position as the preflop raiser on J(s) 7(s) 4(c). A(h)7(h) makes second pair (a pair of sevens) with an ace kicker plus a backdoor heart draw. On this two-tone, somewhat connected board the in-position raiser keeps range advantage, so a small 33 percent c‑bet is the baseline: it gets thin value from worse pairs and Jx that floats, denies equity to overcards and gutshots, and keeps the pot small with a medium-strength holding.
Key idea
In position as the raiser on a two-tone board, a small c‑bet pressures wide folding ranges while keeping medium pairs cheap.
Common mistake
Treating second pair as a polar bluff and overbetting, when its value comes from cheap thin value and equity denial.