87s on J♥ T♦ 3♣ facing a bet — fold, call or raise?
The answer
Fold
give up the hand
The math: Nominal gutshot = 4 nines → ≈8% next card; price = 33%. K-Q makes a higher straight on a nine.
Why
Even with four clean outs, this call would need about $65 of collectible payoff after a hit to break even. Some nines are worse: K-Q makes the higher straight, so that payoff can reverse direction. Deep stacks do not rescue a draw whose implied payoff is both too large and unreliable.
The spot
- Your seat
- BB
- Stakes and stacks
- $1 / $2 · 100bb
- Your hand
- 8♠ 7♠
- Board
- J♥ T♦ 3♣
- Pot
- POT · $20
- Action on you
- CO bets $20 · pot
Every option
Foldgive up the handCorrect
Callcall $20
Why not: Four nominal nines are far short of the price, and K-Q can make a higher straight when a nine lands.
Raisebluff-raise
2.5x · $50 · all-in
Why not: A partly dominated four-out draw has too little equity to turn into a large bluff.
The idea behind it
Nominal outs are not automatically clean. Before counting a card, ask whether it can complete a higher straight or flush for the range betting into you.
Concept: Outs vs price
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.