$5 NLHE 6-max: Could I have done something differently or is this just your classic cooler situation

$5 NLHE 6-max: Could I have done something differently or is this just your classic cooler situation

Is there anyway I could have avoided the situation below, where my opponent flopped the nuts, trapped them, and I didn't get stacked with my straight? I figured it was super unlikely he flopped the nuts, even less likely he checked than called to trap, but I was totally wrong. Did I make the right play or was this a mistake?

Seat 2: SB ($6.42 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero ($8.23 in chips)
Seat 4: UTG ($9.36 in chips)
Seat 5: Villain ($9.67 in chips)
Seat 6: Button ($13.81 in chips)
SB: posts small blind $0.05
Hero: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [8s Js]
UTG: folds
Villain: calls $0.10
Button: raises $0.20 to $0.30
SB: folds
Hero: calls $0.20
Villain: calls $0.20
*** FLOP *** [Qc 9c Ac]
woody0257 joins the table at seat #1
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
Button: checks
*** TURN *** [Qc 9c Ac] [Th]
Hero: bets $0.90
Villain: calls $0.90
Button: folds
*** RIVER *** [Qc 9c Ac Th] [3h]
Hero: bets $2
Villain: raises $6.47 to $8.47 and is all-in
Hero: calls $5.03 and is all-in
Uncalled bet ($1.44) returned to Villain
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [8c Jc] (a flush, Ace high)
Hero: shows [8s Js] (a straight, Eight to Queen)
Villain collected $15.97 from pot

I don’t mind the turn bet, as you’ll get called by a high flush or combo draw enough.

The river bet was absolutely avoidable though...
A) What are you expecting villain to call you with…two pair?
B) What are you expecting villain to raise you with…a bluff?
C) IF villain is bluffing, what hand could he reasonably have?
D) IF villain has you beat (a flush or KJ), did his betting throughout the hand make sense?


It seems you dismissed part D simply bc it’s “super unlikely he flopped the nuts.” Sure, most people don’t flop the nuts in most hands, but that’s not the point. Everything he did in this hand made it quite reasonable to think that he had a strong hand (flush) and his betting said so.