9♠8♠ BTN vs BB, flop on T♠ 7♠ 7♦, 95 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: 9♠8♠
- Board: T♠ 7♠ 7♦
- Effective stack: 95 bb
- Pot: 4.5 bb
6‑max reg battle node with meaningful frequency tradeoffs.
Best core-reg decision?
See the answer
Best play: Call
Why
T♠7♠7♦ is a paired, monotone-leaning board where both ranges miss a lot; the BB has led into hero. Hero's 9♠8♠ is a powerhouse draw — an open-ended straight draw (a 6 or a J completes T‑9‑8‑7) on top of a 9-high spade flush draw, roughly fifteen outs. Hero is IN POSITION, so calling the lead is correct: the equity is far too high to fold, while raising risks getting jammed on by trips/full houses and turns a high-equity draw face-up — flatting realizes the draw cheaply and keeps villain's bluffs in.
Key idea
A combo draw with around fifteen outs in position is a clear call against a lead — keep the pot manageable and realize your huge equity.
Common mistake
Folding a fifteen-out combo draw, or over-raising it into a paired board where trips and boats are happy to stack off.