T♠9♠ BTN vs BB, flop on T♣ 6♦ 2♣, 95 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: T♠9♠
- Board: T♣ 6♦ 2♣
- Effective stack: 95 bb
- Pot: 4 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
Flop, single-raised pot, hero in position on T(c) 6(d) 2(c). T(s)9(s) makes top pair (a pair of tens) with a nine kicker and a backdoor spade draw. With a tiny pot and a board that hits the BB caller too, the in-position raiser can check back this medium top pair: it controls the pot, keeps villain bluffing on later streets, protects the checking range, and avoids being raised off showdown value on a flush-draw-heavy texture.
Key idea
In a tiny pot, checking back a medium top pair on a wet board controls the pot and protects your checking range.
Common mistake
Auto-betting every top pair, turning a pot-control hand into a target for check‑raises on draw-heavy boards.