9♣8♣ BTN vs BB, turn on J♣ 8♠ 5♦ Q♣, 55 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: 9♣8♣
- Board: J♣ 8♠ 5♦ Q♣
- Effective stack: 55 bb
- Pot: 9 bb
Hero evaluates exploit leverage versus player-image assumptions.
Choose the strongest HU postflop strategy.
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
The Q♣ turn on J♣8♠5♦ adds a third Broadway card and a second club, but in a HU single-raised pot the BTN holds the nut clubs and Broadway combos the capped BB rarely has, so the BB's turn bet is wide and bluff-heavy. Hero holds 9♣8♣: middle pair of eights plus the second-nut club flush draw plus a gutshot to the ten. With this much equity against a wide, polarized betting range, calling in position is clearly profitable and lets hero realize the draw cheaply while keeping the BB's bluffs in.
Key idea
In position with a pair plus a strong flush draw, calling down a wide HU turn bet is more profitable than raising and folding out the bluffs you beat.
Common mistake
Raising the combo draw, which folds out the BB's air and only gets action from hands that have you crushed.