A♥8♥ BTN vs BB, river on Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣, 95 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♥8♥
- Board: Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣
- Effective stack: 95 bb
- Pot: 17 bb
River checks to hero after two-street sequence.
Best river decision in baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Bet 40% pot
Why
Final board Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣: three clubs are out so a flush is live, and the board pair (22) means trips/boats exist. You hold A♥ 8♥ — no club, no pair that beats anything, effectively ace-high air that ties at best with the board's deuces. With zero showdown value a small 40% stab is a pure bluff: cheap price to fold out BB's missed straight/non-club one-pair hands, and you risk little when raised since you are giving up nothing. Betting here is about fold equity, not value.
Key idea
Ace-high with no showdown value is a bluffing candidate — a small stab can fold out the better non-pair hands you cannot beat at showdown.
Common mistake
Checking back ace-high that beats nothing and giving up the fold equity a small bluff would capture.