A♠Q♦ BB vs BTN, river on Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣, 55 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♠Q♦
- Board: Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣
- Effective stack: 55 bb
- Pot: 17 bb
This river node requires thin value and bluff‑catch discipline.
Choose the highest-EV river action.
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
Final board Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣ brings a third club and a paired deuce, so flushes, trips, and full houses sit in the calling range while missed clubs and straight draws are the air. Hero's A♠Q♦ is top pair (queens) with the ace kicker, a medium showdown-value hand that the completed flush and any 2x now beat. Out of position, hero checks: the hand is too weak to value-bet into a range full of flushes and trips, and the A♠Q♦ holds no club blocker to support a bluff.
Key idea
On a flush- and pair-completing river, top pair is a check-down, not a bet.
Common mistake
Value-betting one pair into a range that has flushes and trips beating it.