THE PLAYER IN SEAT 4..

Hand of the Day: Pocket 7s in the Small Blind vs J♠8♠ in the Big Blind

Blinds: 500 / 1,000

Stack Sizes: ~30 BB effective

Position:

Small Blind (Hero): 7♣7♦ Big Blind (Villain): J♠8♠

🔍 Preflop Action

Action folds around to the Small Blind, and Hero looks down at pocket sevens — a solid but tricky hand out of position.

Hero raises to 2.5 BB.

The Big Blind calls with J8 suited, a very standard defend given the price and position.

Pot: 5 BB

✅ Good open from the small blind. Pocket pairs play well heads-up, and folding here would be far too tight.

🌊 Flop: J♦ 7♠ 2♣

Bingo. Hero flops middle set on a fairly dry board.

Hero checks.

Big Blind bets 2 BB.

Hero raises to 6.5 BB.

Big Blind calls.

Pot: ~18 BB

💡 Why check-raise?

Allows Villain to continue with top pair (Jx) Builds the pot while disguising hand strength Protects against backdoor draws

🔥 Turn: 8♥

The turn brings an 8, giving Villain two pair (J8) — but Hero still has them crushed.

Hero bets 10 BB.

Big Blind tanks… then calls.

Pot: ~38 BB

⚠️ This is a critical card. While it improves J8, it also means Villain is now less likely to fold, making value betting mandatory.

🏁 River: 3♠

No straight completes. No flush completes.

Hero shoves for remaining ~11 BB.

Big Blind snap-calls.

🃏 Showdown

Hero: 7♣7♦ — Set of Sevens Villain: J♠8♠ — Two Pair

💥 Hero wins a massive pot and nearly doubles up.

🧠 Key Takeaways

✔ Pocket pairs gain huge value in blind vs blind battles

✔ Check-raising strong hands on dry boards maximizes value

✔ When opponents improve to second-best hands, keep betting

✔ Don’t slow-play when stacks are shallow — extract chips while you can

#poker