A♠Q♦ SB vs BTN, river on J♠ 7♣ 4♦ T♦ 3♠, 80 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: A♠Q♦
- Board: J♠ 7♣ 4♦ T♦ 3♠
- Effective stack: 80 bb
- Pot: 18.5 bb
River checks to hero after two-street sequence.
Best river decision in baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
Final board J♠7♣4♦T♦3♠: no flush completes and the only made straights are rare (98, KQ), so BTN's range is mostly Jx and Tx for value plus a pile of missed broadway and small-card air. Hero's A♠Q♦ never improved — it is pure ace-high with no pair and no draw left on the river. Out of position, betting only folds out the worse air hero already beats and gets called by everything better, so checking is correct: take the free showdown and let A-high win against busted bluffs.
Key idea
Ace-high with no pair is a bluff‑catcher, not a bet: check OOP and realize showdown value instead of betting into better.
Common mistake
Turning ace-high into a bluff OOP, only folding out worse and getting called by every pair.