A♠5♠ BTN vs BB, river on Q♣ 9♦ 6♣ 2♠ A♦, 85 bb

Best play: Bet 40% pot

Why

River board Q‑9‑6‑2‑A, the A-d pairs your ace so you hold top pair (aces) with a weak 5 kicker; there is no flush (only three spades total). In position on the button after it checks to you, a small 40 percent bet is the right size: it gets called by worse aces, queens, and pair-plus hands while keeping your weak kicker out of a big raised pot. Sizing down protects the thin value and lets your bluffs use the same small size, so betting small beats both checking back and overbetting.

Key idea

Pair a top kicker-light ace on the river and you size down for thin value while protecting against a raise.

Common mistake

Overbetting top pair with a weak kicker only folds out worse and gets raised by better aces and two pair.