heads-up flush draw

[serling]

Party 5/10 with 6 people. Loose-aggressive, but SB is new to the table.

I’m on the button with K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

It’s folded to me and I raise.

SB calls, BB folds.

Flop(5 SB): 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].

SB checks, I bet, SB raises, I call (should I have folded?).

Turn(4 1/2 BB): T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

SB bets.

Small pot and heads-up with a nut flush draw but also figure I’m up against a big Ace, a flopped two pair, or at worst a club draw. I'm not going anywhere. What do I do now? Just call? Or raise?


--serling

[doormat]

I am just calling here. The fact that he check-raised the flop instead of waiting gives me hope that he is either on a draw or has a hand like 89 and not aces. I would call him down at the river most of the time.

doormat

[serling]

Hi doormat --

I didn't even consider 89, but you're right he probably would've waited for the turn to raise.

I ended up just calling, but if I did think he had 89, shouldn't I have raised the turn to represent the Ace (and still with flush outs) and get him to fold? Then if he reraised, I'd just call and fold on the river if no flush.

serling

[slamdunkpro]

Call. I would have folded on the flop raise, but at this point, you might as well see one more card.

[doormat]

Hi serling,
Of course you could have played it that way, but if I am him I am not folding 89 there. Additionally, since he could be on a flush draw I would consider calling at the river even if he calls your raise, since now there will be even more bets in the pot to justify a bluff by him at the river and a call by you. Part of it depends on the limits and the skill of the players. In higher limits you would often see both players bluffing in that situation. However, a bluff raise by you should be the exception there, not the rule. You still have a drawing hand while he is likely paired, so why make it more expensive for yourself to draw at the nut hand?

doormat

[bunky9590]

Thats the one leak in my game that it took me forever to fix. Chasing flush draws with an overcard to my cards on the board and not getting the odds to do it. I miss, I'm gone. Now if I had the overvards and the gutshot to go with that four flush, maybe.

[sam h]

Folding is obviously not an option.

Before deciding to call or raise, ask yourself what you'll do on the river if you don't hit. If you're going to call him anyway with your nut no pair, then you might as well raise the turn. He could fold a low pair and, moreover, you're putting in the same number of bets but giving yourself an option to collect a third if you get there on the river. The only way this backfires is if he threebets the turn, but I think that's pretty unlikely (if he had something strong enough to threebet with, he probably slowplays the flop). Against a lot of players, I'm raising here on the turn.

If you decide that he's not one to push draws this aggressively and that you're going to fold if you don't improve, then just call the turn.

[serling]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. My big leak is not value betting/raising enough and I was wondering if I should've raised on the turn (which I don't normally do on a flush draw unless there're more people in the pot).

Another leak, as you see, is I should've folded on the flop when I was check-raised. Particularly heads-up like that. This flop play reasoning contradicts my turn play, but I'll sometimes call a small bet just to see the turn.

So I called and the river actually brings a J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], for a runner-runner royal.

The guy now checks, I bet, and he calls. He had pocket Kings.

serling

[ZeeJustin]

I would have folded on the flop, but if you're still in for that turn, you have to call.