A♠Q♦ CO vs BB, river on A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠, 75 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♠Q♦
- Board: A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠
- Effective stack: 75 bb
- Pot: 14 bb
River checks to hero after two-street sequence.
Best river decision in baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
Final board A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠: the pair on board means anyone with an ace holds aces-up (aces and fives), so the kicker decides; no draw completed and BB's range is capped at one-pair Ax and missed club/straight misses. Hero is IN POSITION with A♠Q♦ = top pair plus the board fives, the second-best kicker behind AK. Checking back is correct: a bet only gets called by AK that beats us and folds every worse hand, so this medium showdown hand realizes more equity by taking the free showdown.
Key idea
A medium top pair that only gets called by better and folds worse should check back and take the free showdown.
Common mistake
Thin-betting top pair that is only called by a better kicker and never paid by worse.