2/3 live. Villain is 60 year old guy playing fairly tight with a $120 stack.

Hero opens to $12 in the HJ with A5s, vilalin calls the rest fold.

Flop AJ3r.

I check he checks.

Turn: K brings bd flush draw.

I bet $20 into $24 and he calls.

River 8. Flush misses.

Hero? Against a loose passive I would default to betting small but he had been playing pretty nitty so I def thought he could have KJ or a straight here and thought his aces would have bet flop. I just don't have a ton of value targets here.

With 40bb effective, I'm generally looking to get stacks in, so a standard c-bet would be standardly standard for me on this flop.

I'd want more info than "he's playing tight" before I choose to shut down with TP. If I did choose to not bet this flop, it'd be b/c I think that V would only ever call with TP better kicker+. If we're thinking V is that type of tightwad, then betting nearly pot OTT is also a mistake. If you're trying to get value from a K then bet less, like $12.

versus V in question, I am making a small river bet. He could call the turn with Kx or Jx, and he is likely to call something small on the river to see your ace. Id even go as small as 20 here, although half pot 30 or 35 is fine. You are snap folding to a raise, so youre likely saving money when youre beat, because he probably wouldve value bet for more. Well played flop check with TPNK.

Blocking river seems good as i wouldn't expect many bluffs from an old fella

Thanks for the replies, I know it's not a big spot or super interesting but these small thinish value spots are so common and really important.

Results: I opted to bet small, I think I bet like 25 into 65 and he called with KJ. I felt like it was a pretty standard bet but I was wondering against a player type who isn't raising turn without the nuts if I should consider checking. I think I should still bet since KJ is pretty much all he has that beats me. Maaaaybe he just calls with jacks on the turn but even that's probably a raise.

Thanks for the replies, I know it's not a big spot or super interesting but these small thinish value spots are so common and really important.

Results: I opted to bet small, I think I bet like 25 into 65 and he called with KJ. I felt like it was a pretty standard bet but I was wondering against a player type who isn't raising turn without the nuts if I should consider checking. I think I should still bet since KJ is pretty much all he has that beats me. Maaaaybe he just calls with jacks on the turn but even that's probably a raise.

Hand was well played by both people.

Flop is textbook WA/WB. Sure, you often “win the pot” with a flop c-bet, but we are trying to maximize EV, not rack up “won pots.” We never fold better and too often fold worse - this is a nice hand to have in our OOP x/c range.

Flop was similarly well played by villain. He’s never folding better - you’re still going to call at least one street with KK/QQ. Turn you could argue villain played a little cautiously, but you don’t have many draws in your range and are folding most of your range to a raise so raising fourth-best two-pair is a bit of an overplay.

Likewise on the river, not much villain can get value from with a river raise so he makes the sensible call. Good spot to run a bluff with QT, but he just has so few bluff combos that sometimes you just have to give it to him.

I would bet small on the river. After your flop check he probably thought you didn't have an ace. Of course, I say that after I knew the results.

since the straight came in an I agree he could just have the J I see nothing wrong with just checking the river and going to showdown since you have the Top pair.

the problem with a bet even if small is you will not be loving life if he raises you. Therefore I prefer the check down although a small bet would still be fine

Why didn't you bet the flop? Seems crazy.

This is not a thin value bet. Once you check the flop (which I like) you need to bet this river for value.

Are you confused about the definition of "thin value bet"? Pretty sure river betting TPNK into a 60yo typically qualifies (or is too thin).

Not after checking the flop it doesnt. People think that once you check the flop you cant have the A. It works like a charm all the time.

You're not getting 3 streets with this hand. If you bet the flop you wont get any streets a large portion of the time unless he has an Ace in which case you're in trouble. When you check the flop you let him catch a 2nd best hand but more importantly you can get 2 streets from 2nd pair or some other pocket pair. If I check this flop which I would do almost always, I wouldnt give betting the river a 2nd thought.

The river action is textbook definition of thin value bet (or too thin), which is we believe he'll call more often with worse than he'll have better. We can get calls from KQ and KT (and probably other Kx if in range) here quite often. QQ and everything worse can't beat a K, so we'll only occasionally get calls from those hands from a typical old guy. On the other hand, we lose to a variety of two pair hands, as well as AQ, AT, A9.

You can make a strong case that this is a river check. AK3,J,8 would be a much better spot than the AJ3,K,8 that we have here.

A lot of his range is better Ax or just had two outs to improve on the turn. If he has better Ax he will bet flop and turn and I can fold the turn unless there is a clear sizing tell. If he has a jack or might want to get stubborn with a pair, I think the best way to underrep my hand is to check flop. Checking flop will also sometimes induce a protection bet from a hand like 88 etc.

Giving him a free card also isn't that dangerous. Let's say a ten comes and he hits a straight wth KQ, this isn't a guy who I'm going to have to pay off anyway. Also, some of the time he will hit a K or a Q and call twice since I didn't bet flop and he doesn't put me on an ace.

Also, not that I really care about GTO at this table because I didn't think people were that observant, but I do notice when people have really weak checking ranges and if you are always betting A5 here what does it mean when you check? Even though I'm fairly nitty, when I see people bet their A2 or their QJ on this board I start to look for chances to float and play back at them.

There isnt some set line for the specific thinness of a bet for it to be a thin value bet, but this is a clear example of a situation where someone would be completely reasonable to use the term.

I expect him to show up with AQ AT A9 A8 KJ at minimum here, although possibly discounted. Although this isnt some sort of hyper thin neutral EV range merging bet, it sure as hell isnt fat value. I do think its a somewhat clear bet so... if you wanna call it medium thin, i mean... ok, maybe thats more correct, but sure seems like some unnecessary nitpickery to me.