J♦J♣ SB vs BTN, river on A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠, 75 bb
The spot
- You: SB
- Opponent: BTN
- Your hand: J♦J♣
- Board: A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠
- Effective stack: 75 bb
- Pot: 20 bb
River checks to hero after two-street sequence.
Best river decision in baseline?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
The river is A 8 5 5 2 and hero holds JJ, an underpair to the ace: this hand beats only missed draws and worse pairs, while losing to every Ax the BTN holds. Leading small (40%) is justified only as a thin value/protection lead that gets called by 99/TT and folds out total air; it is a marginal showdown hand, not a clear bet.
Key idea
On an ace-high paired board, a pocket pair like JJ is an underpair: it has showdown value but beats no value hand the in-position player would call you with.
Common mistake
Betting JJ here for protection as if it were ahead — on a finished river there is nothing to protect, and you only get called by aces while folding out the hands you beat.