Part: Part Six - Betting After the Flop
Thin value on the river
River
You raised pre-flop with A♣J♣, c-bet the J♥ 8♦ 5♣ flop and bet the 3♠ turn, both called. River 2♥ bricks and the big blind checks to you a final time.
Top pair, good kicker, on a dry run-out; he's check-called twice and checks the river. Best?
WhyRead his line: two check-calls and then a check usually means a worse jack, a middling pair, or a busted draw that pays off now and then. None of those bet themselves, so checking wins nothing extra from them. Size a bet small - to be called, not to blow them off - and you tax the top of that range.
What happensYou bet 2,000, he calls with J-9, and you win the extra. The occasional better jack costs you a small bet, but the calls from worse make betting more profitable than the safe check most players default to.
On a brick river against a passive check-caller, you made a small value bet with top pair instead of checking back. Thin value lives in betting the hands most players are too scared to bet.
Bet thin for value against a check-caller who then checks the river - size small so worse pairs can call, and you collect chips that a safe check leaves behind.