6 to the flop after SB raised. I'm BB with A5

863 (12 SB)
SB bets. Just call or raise?

In the absence of any other info, I would raise.

People who totally missed this flop are probably folding to one bet anyway. People with decent draws will come along getting 15-2. If a smaller flush is out there you may even get 3 bet.

Raise for value here; most folks are not going to put you on the current nuts.

Raise. Ksx, Qsx etc are all calling two bets, as are all the straight draws that hold a spade.

One of the rare times to slow play. You have a lock on the hand and there are only so many big spades that will peel for two.

A call here you have the nuts and our villain is leading out. A raise says I am strong a call could mean a weaker flush, 2 pair, set or draw, we do not want to let our fish off the hook more so if he is donk betting or floating. What has he got that can beat us 9TS for a str8 flush, 2 pair or a set for a boat. We need him to lead out on the turn so a raise will shut him down or make him fold and you won't induce any bluffs. If the board texture stays good for you then on the river you drop the hammer.

This is why we call! There is 2 more streets of betting so do not want bluffs and weaker hands to fold.

Raise now. It's a big pot and people will find excuses to call with a lot of crap (pairs, bad combo draws, high spades). People will also give you more action on the big streets if you raise immediately since so many people slowplay with the nuts in this spot.

Clearly, this depends on the players. Some will call anything, some will call anything for 1, but fold even some good hands for 2 cold.

How would you play a draw, or a small flush, or two pair? What story do you want to tell?

Against my usual lineup, I would call. Against another common lineup, I would raise.

You currently have the nuts, and a very good chance to win the hand. The goal right now is to get as much money in the pot as possible. The best way to do that depends on the players. What do you think the action would look like if you call and what would it look like if you raise?

Would it go:
SB bets, you raise, everyone folds?
Or
SB bets, you raise, everyone calls?
OR
SB bets, you call, maybe get 2 callers but when you raise a blank turn everyone folds?

I've played at tables where all have occurred. Without a read on the table, I like raising the flop, since I would also raise with good hands that aren't flushes (sets, two pair, and maybe A8), or an AsX flush draw hand. With a balanced range like that people are more likely to call you down (turn raises are often viewed as very strong and cause many folds). A flop raise also opens up the possibility that someone three bets the flop.

In general, never slowplay in low stakes limit multiway without very specific reads. Raise.

If you want to ensure that you rarely get to win a monster, call.

If you want to hope that things get Biblical in your favor, raise.

I prefer a raise. You'll get action from all kinds of limped hands on a board like this.

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I like this answer lol

Call. Don't shove out weaker fd with a raise.

FYI I would raise a baby flush, a set and 2P here because all these hands are vulnerable on this board with four players still to act and I'd want to charge big spades to continue.

Yes, raise a baby flush, but there are people that are going to draw like the 9 of spades, and such even though they are very dead.

If you're going to raise those hands, why not also raise with the nuts?

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Because if he had a baby flush he wants the lone 9 of spades to fold. With the nuts he wants the lone 9 of spades to call.

Not saying I think he should just call here, but it has some logic. As others have said, I think it really depends a lot on the character of the game here.

If you want to charge people when you have a small flush, why wouldn't you want to charge them when you have a big flush?

Charge them to chase, then when they hit, charge them again.

It's not logically consistent to raise a T high flush here to make the Js call two cold, but then call the nut flush in fear that the Js won't call two cold.

It is logically consistent if you think the Js will not likely call two cold. You're raising to make him fold. If you have the nut flush, you don't want to make him fold.

Again, you may or may not want to play this way, it depends on the other players. But it's not inconsistent.

Beyond just the fact that everyone calls here with everything at this limit, I also wonder, if you are going to slowplay this, what you are going to do on the later streets?

If a spade comes on the turn, we may get checked to and get one bet in on the turn, called (perhaps) by one opponent.

If a spade does not come on the turn, are we raising then? Because we're going to have the same concerns as on the flop.

And if we don't raise the turn, are we going to get in a raise on a blank river or is it going to get checked to us.

Part of the value of slowplay is to give yourself a chance to get value on a later street. But I'm not sure we are getting that value here.

Finally, I think it matters that there is a common 2 pair and several straight draws on this board. Don't you want to force people with those sorts of hands to call multiple bets on the flop?