J♣T♣ BTN vs BB, flop on T♠ 7♠ 7♦, 95 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: J♣T♣
- Board: T♠ 7♠ 7♦
- Effective stack: 95 bb
- Pot: 13.5 bb
Hero chooses between call, raise, and controlled passivity.
What action keeps the highest practical EV?
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
T♠7♠7♦ is a paired flop and the BB donk-leads into the in-position BTN. Hero's J♣T♣ flops top pair (the T) with a J kicker, ahead of most of the BB's donking range of worse pairs, draws, and air. As the IP BTN, calling is best: it keeps the BB's bluffs and worse T-x in, controls the pot against the occasional trip-7 or full house, and lets Hero realize showdown value cheaply with position.
Key idea
Top pair on a paired board in position calls a lead rather than raising into the rare trips-or-better.
Common mistake
Raising top pair on a paired board and getting stacked by the trips and full houses that never fold.