K♦Q♦ BTN vs BB, turn on Q♠ 9♦ 4♣ 2♠, 70 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: K♦Q♦
- Board: Q♠ 9♦ 4♣ 2♠
- Effective stack: 70 bb
- Pot: 14.5 bb
Turn card shifts nut advantage and action returns to hero.
Best turn pressure line?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
The 2♠ turn on Q♠9♦4♣ is a blank that changes little. With K♦Q♦ hero has top pair top kicker (queens, king kicker) — a strong but not nutted holding. The BB checked to hero, and checking back is the disciplined line: betting only gets called by better (sets, AQ) and folds out the worse hands you dominate, while a check controls the pot, keeps the BB's bluffs and weaker Qx in, and lets you realize showdown value cheaply with position. You happily call a river bet rather than bloat a one-pair hand on the turn.
Key idea
Top pair good kicker on a dry turn is a check-back: protect your showdown value instead of bloating a one-pair pot.
Common mistake
Betting top pair here mostly folds out worse and gets raised by better — it turns a comfortable showdown hand into a guessing game.