It's not often I'm speechless when playing...

Credit to Jim Manser's album art

Today's hand is from the $0.10/$0.20 tables.  We're heads up sitting on $21.83 effective.

I'm on the BTN and open to a standard 3x with Ah3c and villain calls.  Ax hands are fairly strong heads up.  In fact, when playing HU, I've read that you should be opening ~50% of your hands.  If you apply that metric, Ax is really strong.

Conjecture aside, flop is 3h3dJc - nice flop ($1.20 in the middle)!  Problem is I don't feel like it connects with any of my opponent.  He checks to me and I check.  Can't turn blood from a rock, after all!  If I bet my trips here, there's a huge chance he'll fold and I want him to connect something with his hand.

Turn is a 7s, same $1.20 in the middle.  The 7 completes a little more of my opponent's range: T9, T8, 78, 76, etc.  TBH, if he has a Jack, he's leading here too.  He checks to me again, though.  I consider the above, but again check, not wanting to lose him.  Perhaps he'll get "lucky" on the river and call a strange bet by me.

2s on the river.  Womp Womp.  This doesn't hit anything.  He checks a third time.  Same $1.20 in the middle and I throw a Hail Mary $5.25 bet out there, seeing if he'll fish.  He does.  And shows me As8s for Ace high with 8 kicker?   I mean...  What?  Thanks for the $5.25 gift!

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The hand in question is linked here. 

Straight flushes? Oh my!

This is known as a "Nutting Stone."

I'm mystified at how I made only one bet on this hand.  A little background on me: I get a little spicy when I see a bargain to enter a pot.  Hopefully that explains my speculative call.

$0.10/$0.20 table, effective stacks are $25 (I have $48.73 FWIW).  Folds twice to villain who opens for $1.  BTN calls and I call with Kc9c.

I flop magic: TdQdJd - straight flush.  I'm fairly certain this hits my opponent's range on the head so I check.  Of note, I have stone nuts; there is no drawing out on me with blockers up & down.  He leads for pot: $3.10.  I flat, considering raising will scare away villain.

Ah on the turn, $9.30 in the middle.  This kind of ruins my opponent's hand because unless he has AK, he's going to be less tenacious.  It unfortunately narrows down the hand for his value betting range.  I'm stuck: I can't bet here because I'll scare him, but I need him to have a precise combo.  I check. He checks :-(.

Hopefully, my check turn will make him comfortable because the 9c (an effective blank) falls on the river.  Still $9.30 in the middle.  In my head, I flip a coin: bet/check.  The coin flip lands on check - I'm hoping he finds he still may have value from his range - given that I've been 100% passive the whole hand.  Nope.  He checks through and I'm shown QhQs for a flopped set.

Okay - comments?  I don't need Monday morning quarterback comments; I'm looking for meaningful, "I flopped a straight flush and should have bet the turn or river because XYZ."  Lay 'em on me!

If you sign up for ClubsPoker, you can view the hand rather than relying on my mediocre retelling.  Use the referral link provided if you're able to do so.

The hand in question is linked here.