Flop Analysis
Auto-played to reach this drill spot — you didn't act here, so it isn't scored.
Check-call the small flop c-bet with pocket eights, but avoid donking the turn where you isolate yourself against stronger holdings.
Auto-played to reach this drill spot — you didn't act here, so it isn't scored.
Calling is standard here. Pocket eights is well ahead of UTG's c-betting air and backdoor floats, making this an easy defend against a small sizing.
We should check the turn instead of leading. Donk betting with an underpair to the queen turns a decent bluff-catcher into an awkward semi-bluff that folds out broadway misses we dominate while keeping all better Qx and overpairs in. **Ranges:** When we lead, UTG continues easily with Qx, slowplayed trips, and overpairs, while folding unpaired broadway holdings that we currently beat. Checking keeps their bluffing range alive and allows our hand to reach showdown cheaply. **Plan:** Checking preserves pot control and lets us evaluate river runouts against UTG's wide checking range or face a polarized barrel with clear bluff-catching thresholds. --- > **Takeaway:** Avoid donk-betting mid-pocket pairs on blank turns; checking maintains pot control and extracts value from missed overcards.
Note: Leading the turn isolates you against better hands and denies villain the chance to bluff with weaker broadway holdings.
Checking is standard on this river. The king of spades completes flush draws and hits UTG's preflop range hard, leaving our underpair strictly as a showdown check-back.