Nut flush Went South - Any thoughts?

[MrHorace]

Live 2/4 game. 9/10 players
Hero is MP3, Villain is UTG
Hero has A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, Hero calls, get 3 others calling.

Flop:
All /images/graemlins/diamond.gif's including 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
UTG checks, UTG+1 bets, 2/3 folds, Hero calls, 1/2 other callers.

Turn:
J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
Checked to hero, hero bets, ~3 callers.

River:
J
UTG bets, fold to hero, hero raises, UTG raises, hero calls.

I welcome input and ideas as to playing this hand. Note: As this is live 2/4, hand history lacks details of on-line, but I think you'll get the idea.

Thanks for the help.

[Rubeskies]

You played it fine. Sometimes he'll turn over the K of diamonds sometimes he'll turn over a runner runner boat. Good raise on the river and calling the 3-bet makes sense because you no longer have the nuts. Raising the flop might be a good idea but depends on how loose your opponents are.

[MrHorace]

Hmmm. Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking I should've raised the flop rather than slow-playing to build the pot.
I feel that this is actually a leak of mine that has burned me many times...having the nut flush or nut straight on the flop, and losing it. Ugh!

[jtr]

Hello again, Mr. Horace.

I think you played it OK, but I suspect a better play would have been to raise preflop and on the flop also.

You talk about a possible leak in your game where passivity and ill-advised slowplaying lets someone else build a monster-crushing hand. OK, that may be true. But we all lose money to people who make full houses on the river card. The important thing is to make sure that your flush makes the most chips possible every time it hits. And even sometimes when it doesn't hit. That way you'll be able to afford the annoying river suckouts.

[MrHorace]

JTR, I thought about raising preflop, but I wanted to keep everyone in play. Of course, I think the logic is that most people would come in for another bet in low limit hold 'em, so maybe that argument isn't good. The point is, I did consider it, but opted not to.

However, I believe not raising on the flop was a mistake as you said, I didn't get the most chips in the pot that I could have. In this case, I don't think the opponent would've folded, but in other cases I've experienced, where I've lost on the river, the opponent might have folded.
Thanks for the suggestion.