8♠7♠ BB vs BTN, turn on T♠ 7♣ 2♣ 9♦, 100 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: 8♠7♠
- Board: T♠ 7♣ 2♣ 9♦
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 10 bb
Hero arrives on turn with equity and blocker leverage.
What action realizes the most EV in solver baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
The 9♦ turn gives hero a strong but vulnerable holding on T♠7♣2♣9♦: 8♠7♠ is now middle pair (sevens) plus an open-ended straight draw (a 6 or J makes the straight around 789T). With a check answer hero is not facing a bet OOP, so checking is range protection and pot control — hero keeps the pot manageable, denies the IP BTN a clean bet-or-fold decision, and can continue cheaply with a hand that has both showdown value and eight clean outs to improve.
Key idea
OOP with a medium pair plus a straight draw and no bet to face, checking protects your range and controls the pot while keeping all your outs.
Common mistake
Leading or raising this medium-pair-plus-draw OOP overplays a hand that prefers to control the pot and realize its equity cheaply.