K♣T♣ BTN vs BB, river on K♦ 8♠ 4♥ 3♦ A♣, 80 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: K♣T♣
- Board: K♦ 8♠ 4♥ 3♦ A♣
- Effective stack: 80 bb
- Pot: 21.5 bb
This river node requires thin value and bluff‑catch discipline.
Choose the highest-EV river action.
See the answer
Best play: Bet 40% pot
Why
Final board A‑K‑8‑4‑3 rainbow, no flush possible. Hero holds K♣T♣ = a pair of kings, but the river ace makes that only second pair with a tame T kicker. The BB checked twice and is capped at one-pair / busted hands, so a 40% bet extracts thin value from worse Kx, 8x and pairs while folding out the misses; an overbet only gets called by aces and better, so size down.
Key idea
Bet small for thin value when you beat worse pairs but lose to the few hands that can call a big bet.
Common mistake
Overbetting second pair, which only gets called by aces and better and turns a value hand into a bluff‑catcher you paid into.