Lesson
Sizing for the Middle of Your Range: Tens vs. Aces
Bet Sizing · advanced · 12 min
Tyler and Eric break down why a solver prefers betting tens over aces in a turn spot and why half-pot is the chosen size. The lesson focuses on sizing around the middle of the value range, making one-pair hands indifferent, and choosing bluffs whose equity improves when better overcards fold.
Key takeaways
- Bet tens more often than aces in this spot because tens can lose to overcard floats that pair the river, while aces do not need the same protection.
- Use half-pot when it gets enough worse hands to call while still making hands like ace-eight, king-nine, and sixes close to indifferent.
- Avoid sizing too large with marginal value like tens through queens because larger bets fold out the overcards and one-pair hands you make money from.
- Avoid betting too small when the middle of your range needs protection; one-third pot can leave floats with too much EV and miss value from worse made hands.
- Prefer bluffing weaker overcard hands like queen-ten or jack-ten over higher-showdown-value hands like king-queen, ace-queen, or ace-king, because folds improve the value of their outs.