T♣9♣ BTN vs BB, flop on K♠ 7♦ 3♣, 80 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: T♣9♣
- Board: K♠ 7♦ 3♣
- 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: Check back
Why
K♠7♦3♣ is a dry, disconnected king-high board. Although the BTN keeps a range edge, your T♣9♣ whiffs completely: it is only ten-high with no pair, no straight draw, and just a single-club backdoor that needs runner-runner. With essentially no equity and nothing to deny, checking back is correct — you protect your checking range, realize equity for free, and avoid spewing into a board your range-betting frequency does not require this exact air to attack.
Key idea
Pure-air hands with no draw and no backdoor strength belong in the checking range even when the board favors you overall.
Common mistake
Auto-c‑betting every BTN flop — but firing ten-high with zero equity on K73 just burns chips when the BB's king-x and pairs never fold.