how much to pay for a free card....

hand is less important than the situation. i hold top pair/ top kicker with two flush on the board and bet out on the flop, one person calls next player raises fourth plaer folds, i re raise, caller folds, raiser makes it four bets. i call.

turn was checked, andi bet the river and he flashed his flush draw and mucked.

i was surprised that he would four bet for a "free" card is this a good play? are you gaining or losing much either way?

If the flush draw player had more than two players then reraising actually because a long term profitable play rather than just calling, it also gives him the opportunity to take the free card on the turn giving him infinite odds, but i believe heads up you should never go 4 bets with a flush draw unless there is a very high probability that your opponent good make a laydown right here on the flop or on the turn. By the way you must have had a great read on him, i was wondering what would you do if he bet the turn and the river??


I think if he bet the turn , calling is very difficult even calling the flop is a tough decision when he 4 bets unless offcourse you have a read on him and know him very well.


-MJ

Your opponent played like crap.

He broke even since you didn't bet on the turn. He originally raised to get a free card. Your re-raising didn't allow that, so he re-raised for the same reason he did originally (you're bet on the turn will cost the same as a raise, so he might as well take the intiative and bet).


Often this play (4 betting) will be made as a semi-bluff because if he really had a hand, he would have just called and waited to the turn to raise. I'd say more often than not a second re-raise means "I'm on a flush draw!", but it depends on the opponent.


I don't think your bet on the river was a good idea. A case could be made for betting on the turn (but you'd have to know your opponent). However, you've pretty much defined your hand by betting out and re-raising on the flop, so why bet on the river? He's only likely to call you with a better hand, and if you check you may induce a bluff. Actually with a better hand he would probably raise, which would cost you a bet. So betting will likely not gain you anything, but could cost you a bet.


An alternative to re-raising on the flop is to call and bet out on the turn. I think your way of playing (re-raising) is generally better, provided you play other hands the same way (that is, you don't only bet out and re-raise with top pair/top kicker or better hands). The advantage to calling on the flop and betting out on the turn is there are more hands your opponenent can put you on, thus he may be more likely to make a mistake. Just something to think about.