preflop Analysis
AJs is a standard Button open at this depth. The 2BB size keeps weaker blinds in while preserving a wide, profitable opening range.
The preflop, flop, and turn lines are clean; on the river, take the showdown with ace-high rather than bluffing a range that calls mostly better hands.
AJs is a standard Button open at this depth. The 2BB size keeps weaker blinds in while preserving a wide, profitable opening range.
Calling the small blind 3-bet is the practical default with AJs in position and near-100BB effective stacks. We retain strong equity versus the 3-bet range without bloating the pot through a marginal 4-bet.
Calling is essentially mandatory. The price is excellent and the small c-bet still contains a large share of air, including unpaired broadways, while our ace-high is ahead of worse kickers and can improve on later streets.
Checking back is the clear play with our ace-high. Betting folds the air we already beat and gets continued against by stronger made hands, so taking the free card preserves our showdown value.
This river bet is a mistake; checking back is the pure strategy. Our hand sits near the bottom of our range, and the river check does not leave enough worse hands that can profitably call a bluff attempt.