A♠5♠ CO vs BB, river on Q♣ 9♦ 6♣ 2♠ A♦, 55 bb
The spot
- You: CO
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: A♠5♠
- Board: Q♣ 9♦ 6♣ 2♠ A♦
- Effective stack: 55 bb
- Pot: 10 bb
Advanced node: capped range attack opportunity.
Best advanced line?
See the answer
Best play: Check
Why
River Q9 6 2 A; hero A-spade-5-spade pairs the A-diamond for top pair with a weak 5 kicker, no flush (only two clubs on board). In position versus BB, this is a thin showdown hand: betting only folds worse and gets called by better aces, two pair, and sets, so checking back to realize showdown value is best. Turning a marginal made hand into a bet just isolates yourself against the part of villain range that beats you.
Key idea
Top pair with a weak kicker in position is usually a check-back for showdown value, not a value bet.
Common mistake
Betting the weak-kicker top pair for value, which folds out worse hands and gets called only by better.