Thin Value
Also known as: Thin Value Bet
Value-betting a marginal made hand that gets called by worse only slightly more than half the time, small profit, small sizing.
Thin Value
A thin value-bet is a bet with a marginal made hand that gets called by worse just over 50% of the time. The margin is small, but as long as worse hands call more often than better ones, the bet prints. That's the only test for value.
- Sizing: go small. A smaller bet-sizing keeps weak bluff-catchers in that a big bet would fold out, widening the worse-hand calling range.
- Targets: you're betting for the villain's bluff catchers and second-best pairs to call: not to fold them out.
- vs checking: thin value beats a check only if you get called by enough worse hands without being check-raised or out-valued. If your hand can't profitably bet, check it back and realize equity at showdown.
Thin value is how strong regs squeeze extra bets out of medium-strength hands without spewing.
Example
River Q♠9♦4♣8♥2♣, you hold Q♥T♣ (top pair, weak kicker) in position. Villain checks. A ~33% pot bet-sizing gets called by Qx with a worse kicker, 9x, and stubborn 8x. That's thin value. A pot-sized bet would fold all of those out, so size down or check back the worst of these.