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03-12-2004, 11:26 PM
Post subject: Betting Flush Draws
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#1 (permalink)
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How do you people usually play your flush draws (Ax or Kx suited especially, but also the more marginal ones)? Personally, I almost always bet my flush draws just as if I hit top pair and am trying to protect my hand and get out the flush draw. I find this has several advantages:
1. You have a decent shot to buy the pot right there
2. If anyone calls, the pot will get built up, ensuring that when the draw hits you'll get paid off. This increased pot size also makes it more difficult for people to lay down their hands when the flush comes and you bet out strong
3. Inferior flush draws might call and then if/when the flush comes you'll make a killing (if you have the ace high nut draw, with lower draws you run the opposite risk: an ace high flush calling and then cleaning you out when the flush hits. This is why I rarely bet strong unless I have the suited king or ace; with lesser draws I still almost always bet, but usually represent middle pair or top pair with weak kicker)
4. People won't place you on a flush draw, so this also makes them more likely to call when the flush draw comes and you bet (if you'd been checking or calling it down a big bet just screams out "I hit my flush"
5. Top pair without best kicker will be more reluncant to raise or bet strong
6. When people see you bet big without a made hand, you'll get more action on subsequent hands
I can make the case for playing an ace-high flush draw like this almost every time on the PP NL $25 tables (unless you're getting re-raised back, there's a pair on the board), but I'm conflicted about how to play lesser draws. What do you guys think?
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Fnord
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: I'll Do You Like A Truck
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First, I only play Axs and tight/semi connectors from middle and late position. Late position I add Kxs and maybe suited 2-gappers. That being said, the semi-bluff is a great play and I've taken down many pots with it.
However, it has one major problem if you're out of position. If you miss your draw on the turn you either need to bet again or risk triggering a buy attempt since betting the flop and checking the turn is a very strong show of weakness. So, if I'm unlikely to act last in future betting rounds (more than 1 or maybe 2 live player between me and the button) I don't semi-bluff much and instead wait to get a price on my draw.
The same problem applies for the river. The other guy might be on a draw too or might have a made hand. You've shown strength but missed your draw on the turn and river. Now what do you do?
However, if I'm last to act after the turn I have strong options if it's checked to me. I can check to take infinite pot odds on the river (but risk tipping my hand to a strong player) or semi-bluff again if a scare card hit the turn or I think I got a weak call on the flop.
The other reason you want to be playing your draw hands from a late position is you're less likely to need to fold to a later acting player making a big raise or to avoid being caught in the middle of a re-raise war. Hence, playing 100 flops with Axs from UTG is likely to cost *much* more than 100x the BB with a reduced expected value because of your very poor position.
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I'll always bet the turn if I bet the flop. For instance, if I'm holding A5s and the flop comes 6s9sKd, I'll make my standard top pair with good kicker bet ($1-$4 depending on how many people are in the hand and if there was preflop raising). If I hit the flush on the turn w/ the board unpaired, I'll usually check it, and if it doesn't come and there's no pair on the board and no one reraised me on the flop, I keep my bet consistent if I'm out of position and usually increase my bet by a dollar or two if I'm in position.
I find this is strategy pays off big on party poker, since people playing ont he NL 25 tables rarely lay down flush draws, top pair will usually call you down, and if the flush comes and you run into an inferior flush, you'll probably take all that person's money. If I miss on the river, checking it down and folding to any bet is usually the right move, though you can also try buying it if you're heads up and you feel your opponent was on some kind of draw or semi-draw (i.e. pocket pair trumped by overcards on the board or middle pair w/ ace kicker). Since you have a history of betting, another strong bet will usually be enough to make marginal but winning hands fold, so you could also bluff into multiple opponents if you think there's a strong possibility that they'll lay down their hands.
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