8♠7♠ BB vs BTN, turn on Q♠ 9♦ 4♣ 2♠, 90 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: 8♠7♠
- Board: Q♠ 9♦ 4♣ 2♠
- Effective stack: 90 bb
- Pot: 7 bb
Villain range is partially capped after passive turn sequence.
Choose the strongest turn strategy.
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
The 2♠ turn completes a four-flush look for hero (8♠7♠ with Q♠ and 2♠ on Q♠9♦4♣2♠), giving a nine-out spade flush draw plus an open-ended straight draw around the 9 (6 or T completes 6789T/789T), a large combo-draw equity. Hero is out of position with no made hand but heavy backup equity and good spade blockers to the BTN's nut flushes. Check-raising as a semi-bluff applies maximum pressure: it folds out the BTN's weak made hands now and still draws live to the nuts when called, the highest-EV use of this equity OOP.
Key idea
A combo draw OOP (flush draw plus open-ender) is a premier check‑raise semi-bluff: fold equity now, nut equity when called.
Common mistake
Just calling with a huge combo draw OOP forfeits the fold equity that makes the hand most profitable and lets the BTN check back free cards.