6/12 LHE at the Oaks

3 limps, I limp 76s in hijack, CO limps, blinds check.

Flop: K42 (two to my suit).

Checked to me. My image is pretty LAG. Bet it like it's my job, or check?

I also limp preflop; I think some might recommend raise, but I only like paying one small bet preflop with this speculative hand.

I definitely bet the flop as we just need two callers for this to be slightly +EV, plus we can set up a nice free card play if this goes multiway to the turn.

The problem I have here is what to do if it gets HU; I'm usually not disciplined enough to take a free card on the turn, but then again, nor do I think I should be...

Alright. So BTN raises, isolates out the field, and I'm HU OOP with 7 hi.

And miss. Nh?

Well, that's unlucky, but that's the way it goes. EZ check/call on the turn (getting 6.5:1 to chase our flush draw). The difficult decision would be what to do on the river; I'd probably check/raise if flush came in, and check/fold everything else - although we might have a decision to make against an aggressive bluffy villain if we hit a pair, getting 8.5:1...

I have no idea what your alternative would be. Are you worried he's bluffing you with 53s, or do you want to try to make a play at the pot somehow? c/c turn and c/f river UI is fine.

mntndrew - I considered the possibility that my bet wouldn't get called by 2 others, in which case I'd be putting in money without proper equity odds. I usually bet here, but was wondering if there were situations to check flush draws to allow others to hit a pair while we hit our flush. I still bet it like it's my job, usually because it's easier. I just felt that this hand illustrates one of the worst case scenarios, which is getting the hand HU with a 37% equity hand.

Btw, my image is LAG, so little to no fold equity for a bet on the flop by hands that beat me.

i raise pre, otherwise nh, them's the breaks

i guess if you see him putting out chips for a bet i would attempt to c/r the field or c/c if it was just HU

Limp pre, bet/call flop, check/call turn UI, check/fold river UI. Standard IMO.

Lets switch the flop to 9TJ with two hearts; we still betting flop? (I normally do, but was curious as to other opinions). What about AAx/KKx two hearts?

you would be better off thinking about this yourself first before asking opinions.

fwiw i wouldnt bet the 9TJ. ill leave it to you to think about why.

kitcloudkicker - I thought about it, and still ambivalent. I for sure check it if i have 2-3 players to act after me in the 9TJ case (and am still unsure as to whether I would c/raise with many players in the hand). The only time betting this flop is a BIG mistake is if we end up drawing dead...and TBH, I'm not really sure when I'd start considering the possibility of drawing dead with a flush draw. The only obvious times I fold flush draws is if there was a preflop raise, flop comes AAK and there's a lot of heat, or something on the extreme side. Most of the time, our bet is as an equity favorite (we get our 2+ callers); some of the time, as in this hand, I unfortunately get another player to isolate out the field, and once in a while, we are drawing with a higher flush draw and have almost 0 outs.

If I had to come up with a reason for not betting the 9TJ flop it'd be for fear of an early-position c/r, which accomplishes the same bad things as a CO raise.

I'm assuming we have 76 of hearts (i.e. flush draw)?

I bet all of these hands if checked to, and usually barrel the AAx/KKx hands on the turn if HU, plus might even barrel the 9TJ HU if I feel the villain is on a draw.

Kit, what's so bad about betting our flush draw on the 9TJ flop?

Bet. Only good things can happen really unless you get raised and end up HU. Your equity is large and a free card 4 ways would be nice.

I raise preflop sometimes, but prefer four (4) limpers.

If check an AAX flop. Your equity rates to be MUCH lower.

I don't think betting a 76s flush draw on the JT9 flop is horrible, but you don't have any fold equity as you might on the K42 flop because the limping ranges have trouble hitting the latter flop and have trouble missing the former. So you're going to lose some equity because more backdoor flush draw hands like KT with a are going to hang around to see the river. My instinct would be that this is offset by the fact that you're going to often have a lot of callers with the only flush draw, and all those times you're still getting the money in good.

I agree with Jesse that the AA board is pretty bad though.

But we have great fold equity if it gets HU, and get to take easy free card if it ends up multiway against expertly played Ax. Plus we get payed off later in the session every single time we actually have an A.

I find the only difference a paired board makes for me on a flopped flush draw is that I probably won't jam it if raised (cuz now someone is telling me my equity ain't nearly as good as I think it is); but I'm always making sure at least one bet goes in, hopefully not too large a mistake...