Flop Analysis
Paired boards generally favor the raiser's range. Checking our entire range is the standard approach to protect our weaker holdings.
Folding A-high to a second barrel on a brick turn is a solid GTO play to avoid over-investing in a marginal bluff-catcher.
Paired boards generally favor the raiser's range. Checking our entire range is the standard approach to protect our weaker holdings.
Calling is the standard play here. We have significant equity against a wide c-betting range and the price to continue is excellent. **Ranges:** HJ's c-bet range is wide, including many overcards like KQ/KJ and straight draws like 98s. Our AJs is ahead of their air and has three clean outs to an Ace against their Tx holdings. **Math:** We are getting 3.1:1 on a call, requiring only 24% equity. With over 50% equity against HJ's betting range, folding would be a massive mistake. --- > **Takeaway:** A-high with overcard and backdoor potential is a mandatory call against a single c-bet on paired boards.
The 2s is a total brick. We continue with our range-check strategy, letting Villain decide the size of the pot.
Folding is the preferred GTO action. While we beat pure air, Villain's second barrel narrows their range significantly, making our A-high a weak bluff-catcher. **Ranges:** The second barrel from HJ is more polarized, consisting of strong value like Tx, 6x, and JJ+, balanced by bluffs like 98s or QJ. We lose to all of their value and even some of their 'bluffs' like small pocket pairs. **Blockers:** Our Js is a poor card to call with because it blocks Villain's natural bluffs like J9s and QJs. This makes our specific combo a better candidate for folding than other Ax variants. **Plan:** We have plenty of better hands to call with, such as any Ten or pocket pairs (77-99). A-high is simply too low in our range to continue facing a half-pot bet at this SPR. --- > **Takeaway:** On static turns, A-high often loses its showdown value and becomes a fold against a polarized second barrel.