K♣T♣ BB vs BTN, river on K♦ 8♠ 4♥ 3♦ A♣, 70 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: K♣T♣
- Board: K♦ 8♠ 4♥ 3♦ A♣
- Effective stack: 70 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: Check
Why
Final board K♦ 8♠ 4♥ 3♦ A♣ is rainbow with no flush or straight; the river A makes Ax the top of the range while Kx is now only second pair, and busted draws are the air. Hero's K♣T♣ paired the king but the river ace demotes it to second pair with a weak kicker — a medium showdown-value hand that beats bluffs but loses to every Ax. Out of position, this hand should CHECK: an overbet turns a hand with showdown value into a bluff that only the better Ax calls, and it has no blocker to the value it needs to fold out.
Key idea
When the river ace demotes you to second pair, that showdown value checks — it does not overbet.
Common mistake
Overbetting a second-pair bluff‑catcher, getting called only by better and folding out worse.