Q♣J♣ BTN vs BB, turn on Q♦ 9♣ 4♠ 2♦, 45 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: Q♣J♣
- Board: Q♦ 9♣ 4♠ 2♦
- Effective stack: 45 bb
- Pot: 12 bb
Hero evaluates exploit leverage versus player-image assumptions.
Choose the strongest HU postflop strategy.
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
Single-raised HU pot, IP facing the BB's turn bet: the board is Q♦9♣4♠2♦ and Hero holds Q♣J♣ — top pair (queens) with a strong jack kicker. In heads-up the BB barrels a very wide, bluff-heavy turn range, so top pair is a clear continue: calling down keeps in all their busted draws, weaker Qx and floats while controlling the pot in position. Raising mostly folds out the worse hands you beat and only gets action from sets/two-pair, so flatting to bluff‑catch a polarized line is the higher-EV play.
Key idea
Heads-up turn betting ranges are wide and bluff-heavy, so top pair is usually a call-down, not a raise.
Common mistake
Raising top pair for 'protection' and folding out the entire bluff range you actually beat.