how to play draws

[Dell 55]

I am a succesful limit player but am interested in learning more about no-limit. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any advice.

1. Assuming stacks are of moderate size what is the best way to play straight draws and flush draws after the flop heads up and out of position?

2. Any advice about playing draws in any situation?

3. what does the term blocker mean?

thanks for all replies




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[Zukeman66]

If you're playing against good players at higher limits, I imagine Doyle's section in Super System will help you. If you're playing against dumb players at lower stakes like I do, his concepts don't apply, and I simply don't play draws out of position, and sometimes not even with position. In no-limit, it's much easier for opponents to make it incorrect for you to draw, so just get to know the odds and you'll be fine.

[amoeba]

it depends heavily on how much folding equity you have with the opponent as well as how aggressive opponent is with single pair hands.

3. blocker means a bet usually on the river with a good but not great hand that is used to discourage aggressive villain from making a bet that is uncallable, whether that bet be a bluff or the nuts.

example:

pot is 100 on the river, I have 200 left, villain has me covered.

I have top pair but I suspect villain might have set or missed flush draw and he is aggressive enough to push all in with either hand and force me to tough decision if I check so I bet something like $50 and fold to any reraise.

[torsken]

There's another definition of blocker which you can check out at http://www.pokernews.com/pokerterms/blocker.html

[amoeba]

ah yes, that is correct.

[kingofswing]

1. playing draws on the flop/turn depends on pot odds, as always, but more so on implied odds. if you think the guy betting will do so if you make your draw and you can take a big enough chunk out of his stack, go for it. that covers heads up pretty well, the only consideration for a multiway pot is to make sure you aren't drawing so a worse hand than someone else (that's why Axs is so profitable at low limits -- people can't give up on a made flush even if they know it's not good enough) and make sure that you're unlikely to get re-raised if not last to act. as for out of position, i would play my draw passively unless i know i can get the other guys out of the pot. and if your bet would push them out, why bet when you can give them a chance to turn a hand when you turn yours? in position, i'll bet/raise sometimes and it will be a standard raise, not a min-raise. but once again, very read dependent. that's the big difference, reads really matter in NL where limit is straightforward.

2.flush draws are pretty transparent. try to avoid drawing to flushes that are not A or K high. you don't want to pay for a hand that isn't worth it anyway. straight draws can be deceiving and will get more action if made. but in general, draws just are not as profitable. and if people play them against you, be prepared to lay it down without a really good read if a scare card comes -- at least at low limits.

3.i think you mean a blocking bet? the basic idea is this. say you have KsKd and have been betting out. The other guy is likely on a flush draw with the board showing Qs7s8d/2h/5s. Now it's the river and you're first to act. To avoid having to pay off a big bet that he will make, you try to block him by making a smallish bet (maybe 5 into a pot of 30) to see a showdown. The idea is to keep someone from making a big bet when they make a draw forcing you into a tough spot.