How to play the nut flush with a pair on the board?
 

Please look at this and give me your opinions on how I played it and my reasons for doing so. Please comment on the entire hand, not just the final result, as I need help on everything. Thanks.

N/L ring game, $1/2, 10 handed. I am button with $180 stack. BB has $220. No reads as this is only the 5th hand ( My trip 5's got beaten the hand prior by trip 8's).

Fold to MP1 who calls. Fold to cut, who calls. I call with A-7d. SB folds, BB checks.

My theory for not raising was two-fold. My kicker sucks, and I am basically playing this hand with the hopes that I hit the flush, otherwise, top pair is either a loser, or will be such a small pot that it doesn't really pay to play these two cards. I wanted as many people in the pot as possible, as if I hit the flush it will most-likely be the best hand, so I figure I don't want to chase people out, because the odds are tthe nut flush will be the best hand, and I want as many people to put cash into the pot as possible. I also want to see the flop as cheaply as possible, because this is a very speculative hand.

Flop is Kd, 8d, 3d. Cool.

BB checks, MP1 checks, cut checks, I bet $5.
I think most people say to check this to allow someone to make a hand. My reason for betting was that I figured that a small bet like this would probably get called by at least a couple of the players, and might make them think I was on a draw, hoping to buy the pot. BB and MP1 call, cut folds.

Turn, Ks.

BB bets $10, MP1 folds. I put BB on trip K's, which I like. I raise to $30. He calls.

River 4c. He bets $50, I go all-in, he calls.

He has K-4, hit the river for a boat and hammers me for $180.

How do you decide how to play this type of hand? I could just bet big after the flop, unfortunately I'd win around $8. I know I should be careful when there's a pair on the board, but how do you determine what to do? Most of the time there's a pair on the board, nobody has a boat, and most of the time, the nut flush is a money maker. Is this just one of those cases where things went bad and that's the way it is, or should I have recognized something and played it differently? Thanks.

Re: How to play the nut flush with a pair on the board?
 

[ QUOTE ]
think most people say to check this to allow someone to make a hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would say no actually, you want to bet - someone may have flopped a smaller flush with 56d etc and you will get action from them.

Or in this case, you don't want someone to trip up.

Player playing bad cards out of position - you got unlucky. He had 10 outs and hit. Shrug.

Perhaps a preflop raise was in order, you had position and would a big Ace really have limped?

Re: How to play the nut flush with a pair on the board?
 

Your play up to the river is great. Just call the river. By the way, post this hand in mid-stakes NL if you want good responses.

Re: How to play the nut flush with a pair on the board?
 

Thanks guys. And I'll move it to mid-stakes too.