Q♠T♠ BB vs BTN, river on J♠ 7♣ 4♦ T♦ 3♠, 100 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: Q♠T♠
- Board: J♠ 7♣ 4♦ T♦ 3♠
- Effective stack: 100 bb
- Pot: 18.5 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 J♠ 7♣ 4♦ T♦ 3♠ is dry with no completed flush and no four-straight, so both ranges are made up of one-pair hands; the BTN's missed gutshots and overcards are pure air. Hero holds Q♠T♠ = second pair (tens) with a queen kicker — a thin made hand that beats worse Tx, 9x and busted draws but loses to Jx. Leading OOP for 40% pot is a thin value bet that gets called by all those weaker pairs while keeping the pot small against the Jx that has hero beat.
Key idea
Out of position with a thin made hand on a dry river, a small lead extracts value from worse pairs while controlling the pot against the few hands that beat you.
Common mistake
Overbetting second pair as if it were strong value — you only fold out worse and get called by the Jx that has you beat.