Problems with Straight/Flush Draws...

[Ray Of Light]

Up until recently, I felt quite confident with my drawing hands, but after reading SSH, and learning about redraws, and reverse implied odds, I feel a little out of sorts as to how I should have played the following two hands:


HAND ONE

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 6 handed)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7c, Ts.
UTG folds, MP calls, CO calls, Button calls, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (5 SB) Ah, 8h, 9d (5 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks, CO checks, Button bets, SB calls, Hero calls, MP calls, CO folds.

What do you do with a straight draw, when there is a flush draw on the board? Draw to six outs (or possibly less, with the flush redraw out there)... or do you ignore the possibilty of the flush and continue to draw to 8 outs?

Turn: (4.50 BB) Jd (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks, Button bets, SB folds, Hero raises, MP calls, Button calls.

River: (10.50 BB) 2d (3 players)
Hero bets, MP calls $0.75 (All-In), Button folds.

Final Pot: 11.87 BB


HAND TWO

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 7d, 8d.
UTG calls, MP calls, Button raises, Hero calls, BB folds, UTG calls, MP calls.

I feel that this was simply too loose, and should have been an automatic preflop fold? However could I claim this as a value call from the SB with any two suited?

Flop: (9 SB) 3h, 5d, Td (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, MP folds, Button calls, Hero raises, UTG 3-bets, Button folds, Hero caps, UTG calls.

Am I being too aggressive with the non-nut flush into such a large field? In a full ring game, I would only call with this, (raising only with a nut flush draw).

Turn: (9 BB) Kc (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, Hero calls.

River: (11 BB) 3c (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 12 BB

[Nick C]

Hand 1: It looks good to me.

Hand 2: I don't really know 6-max, but I'd fold preflop.

On the flop, the cap seems a bit much to me. You're heads-up at this point, and you're probably drawing just to your flush (well, and runner-runner trips and two pair). I like the initial checkraise plan, though, as the pot is fairly big, and if it had been checked around to the preflop raiser and he had bet, you could checkraise and maybe get heads-up, which would give you a chance to win by spiking a pair (so long as the PFR would bet overcards on the flop, but I'm guessing he would). Once UTG bets and Button calls, though, I might just call and play the hand as a flush draw. I'm not sure I really want to drive anyone out anymore, and I'm not so inclined to keep raising out of position on the flop when I think I'm just chasing a flush and have less than three opponents.

[Munga30]

"What do you do with a straight draw, when there is a flush draw on the board? Draw to six outs (or possibly less, with the flush redraw out there)... or do you ignore the possibilty of the flush and continue to draw to 8 outs?"

You do something in between that reflects only the possibility that someone has a flush draw. Give yourself 7 outs, or 6.5, or 7.2. It doesn't matter much because even your six outs look good enough here with implied odds.

Don't discount below six for this particular hand. If you hit on the turn, you make a lot of money even with the possibility of the flush, much more than you may lose calling a single bet on the river when the third flush card falls.

Check-raising the turn in hand 1 is dangerous. You would hate to see this checked through and you would hate to see MP fold because he's facing two bets cold. You got the best result this time, but consider betting in the future.

Hand 2 is ugly. That's a really bad cold-call preflop, especially at a 6-max table. There aren't enough opponents to pay you off when you make your big hand. That's the key to the speculative hands -- getting paid. If you're not going to get paid, you can't play them for value.

Your flop check is bad. The most likely outcome is that it's checked to the button, who bets. Your raise now drives players out, which you do not want. It's better to lead out. As the action went, you got help from UTG, who bet. Raising is fine, though borderline +EV as you pretty much only have your flush draw. Once UTG 3 bets and button folds, it's time to slow down. Your cap has no value, doesn't get you a free card, and is needless chip spewing. Whether full table or 6-max, once it gets this far, UTG is not folding.

Turn and river are fine.