I'm trying to improve my skills at calling river bets light after seeing some great hands in PG+C where people made sick calldowns. Going through my database to have a look at hands where I could have considered calling.

What about this one? I could be getting raised on the flop with a draw, and then he's betting river as he has no SDV? Should I have called here as all draws bricks and you'd expect him to barrel a better Ax?

CO: 106.75 BB (VPIP: 18.29, PFR: 10.98, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 87)
BTN: 103 BB (VPIP: 10.53, PFR: 10.53, 3Bet Preflop: 3.33, Hands: 77)
Hero (SB): 158 BB
BB: 84.25 BB (VPIP: 53.85, PFR: 46.15, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
UTG: 28 BB (VPIP: 28.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 25)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8 A

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3 BB, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (6 BB, 2 players) 7 4 A
Hero bets 4.5 BB, BB raises to 10 BB, Hero calls 5.5 BB

Turn: (26 BB, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BB checks

River: (26 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, BB bets 25 BB, fold

BB wins 24.75 BB

i think you can definitely call here. it would help to have stats on villain but i think you are making a smart read that he's got no showdown value, frequently was raising flop with a draw, missed, and knew he only had one way to win on the river.

Villains line would seem to be missed FD. Unlikely he back doored a straight, and I would think flopped set would bet turn given the FD out there. So river bet could be A9 that hit or missed FD. This hand fits your criteria of thin potential,calls. So here I would call and make a not of villain and what he had on pot sized river bet for future hands.

Snap call.

Thanks guys. What about this one?

My reasoning for folding is that if villain was on a draw it got there with a 5 (both flush and straight draws), and if he's just got a weak pair he's unlikely to donk river. His sizing is small but I didn't see what we beat here. Then again maybe it's a blocker bet with a weak pair that doesn't want to call a bigger bet on the river? (although I would have checked behind anyway).

Too nitty?

MP: 77.25 BB (VPIP: 14.07, PFR: 10.61, 3Bet Preflop: 1.67, Hands: 202)
CO: 104 BB (VPIP: 25.19, PFR: 20.38, 3Bet Preflop: 10.98, Hands: 264)
Hero (BTN): 103.75 BB
SB: 79.75 BB (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 40.00, 3Bet Preflop: 33.33, Hands: 26)
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 22.58, PFR: 16.13, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 31)
UTG: 95.5 BB (VPIP: 52.00, PFR: 8.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 26)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J Q

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 4 BB, fold, fold, UTG calls 3 BB

Flop: (9.5 BB, 2 players) 9 6 Q
UTG checks, Hero bets 7 BB, UTG calls 7 BB

Turn: (23.5 BB, 2 players) 5
UTG checks, Hero bets 11.75 BB, UTG calls 11.75 BB

River: (47 BB, 2 players) 7
UTG bets 16 BB, fold

UTG wins 44.75 BB