A♥8♥ BB vs BTN, river on Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣, 85 bb
The spot
- You: BB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♥8♥
- Board: Q♣ T♣ 7♥ 2♦ 2♣
- Effective stack: 85 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♣: the third club completes the flush and the board pairs deuces, so BTN's value is flushes, Qx/Tx and trips, with missed straight draws as air. Your A♥ 8♥ has no club and made no pair — it is pure ace-high air that beats nothing at showdown. Leading small from the BB works only as a blocker-style bluff: with no showdown value, a 40% stab can fold out the BTN's missed broadways and weak one-pair holdings that would otherwise win at showdown.
Key idea
On a flush-completing paired river, ace-high air has only its bluff value OOP — a small blocker stab is a legitimate give-up alternative.
Common mistake
Treating ace-high as a showdown hand and checking it expecting to win, when it beats nothing in the BTN's checked-down range.