Flop Analysis
Checking is mandatory here. This board heavily favors the BTN's calling range which is packed with Ax and Kx, making our underpair a pure bluff-catcher.
On a board that smashes the caller's range, we must play defensively with our underpair to realize our equity.
Checking is mandatory here. This board heavily favors the BTN's calling range which is packed with Ax and Kx, making our underpair a pure bluff-catcher.
After the flop goes check-check, we continue to check. Our hand has decent showdown value against BTN's missed draws, but it cannot bet for value.
Betting the river is a significant mistake. BTN's range is capped after checking twice, but our hand is still just a bluff-catcher that doesn't benefit from turning into a bluff.
Note: Betting here is 'thin' at best and disastrous at worst; we fold out all the air we beat and only get called by better hands like Kx.