A♦5♦ BTN vs BB, turn on A♣ 7♦ 3♥ 9♠, 75 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♦5♦
- Board: A♣ 7♦ 3♥ 9♠
- Effective stack: 75 bb
- Pot: 15 bb
HU postflop line reaches a high-frequency adaptation node.
Best postflop adaptation line?
See the answer
Best play: Raise
Why
The 9♠ turn on A♣7♦3♥ barely changes the board; in a HU single-raised pot ace-high boards favor the BTN, and here the BB is betting (or hero is raising a bet) into a range that contains many weaker aces, pairs and bluffs. Hero holds A♦5♦: top pair of aces with a weak kicker plus a backdoor wheel/flush. Because HU value gets paid by a much wider range, raising for value and protection is justified — top pair is clearly ahead of the BB's wide betting range, and raising charges worse aces, pairs and draws while denying equity.
Key idea
Top pair gets paid by a far wider range heads-up, so raising for thin value and protection beats a passive call against a bet-happy BB.
Common mistake
Just calling with top pair and letting draws and worse aces realize equity for free against a wide HU range.