87s on A♠ 8♦ 3♣, checked to you — bet or check?
The answer
Bet
range-bet small
Best size: ⅓ pot · $4
The math: A-high, disconnected. You hold nearly every ace, the caller almost none, so even middle pair fires.
Why
You raised pre, so this ace-high flop is yours. You hold nearly every ace, the Big Blind folded most of theirs. On a board that lopsided your whole range gets to bet small, and middle pair is an easy one to fire: worse floats and pairs still pay, and a small bet denies the two overcards their free card. The backdoor club flush draw is pure upside when you’re called. Betting prints; checking hands back a flop you own.
The spot
- Your seat
- BTN
- Stakes and stacks
- $1 / $2 · 100bb
- Your hand
- 8♣ 7♣
- Board
- A♠ 8♦ 3♣
- Pot
- POT · $12
- Action on you
- BB checks
Every option
Checktake a free card
Why not: Checking surrenders a flop you own. The overcards and floats you beat get a free card to outdraw your pair.
Betrange-bet smallCorrect
⅓ pot · $4 · ⅔ pot · $8 · pot · $12
The idea behind it
As the preflop raiser you hold more strong aces than a caller does, so an A-high, disconnected flop favours your range. On boards like this you can bet small with almost everything: a made pair, and plenty of hands that whiffed too.
Concept: Range c-bet
Terms in this spot
Play it instead of reading it
The trainer deals this hand with hints, grading and spaced repetition — and randomized variations of it once you have seen it.