Let me preface this by saying I'm a newb and I already know there are egregious errors made with this hand. But I want to know if there's any subtle stuff I've missed.

Preflop:
Hero, SB: 2 4
Button: straddles for 6
2 people call, I call. Pot is $27. (4 way)

Flop:
K, 5, 8
Checks all around. At this point, I wanted to secure a flush, get a free card. (4 left)

Turn:
7
I raise $30.
Button folds. 2 middle position callers. (3 left)

River:
K
I shove (about $140). 1 folds after tanking. 1 snap calls. (2 left)
My thought process was the odds of them having hearts/flush are so low with me blocking.

My hand - 2 4 (flush).
I lose to - A Q (flush).


Firstly, I shouldn't have raised so high. And when someone called me, I should have been very suspicious. I still thought I was winning. After that, I should have checked -- not raised. I thought I was winning, when in fact I should have been scared of a better flush. My mindset at that time is "I deserve to lose if he has a better flush". It should have been "Lets gauge if he has a better flush".

All in all, I think I should've never played this hand - fold preflop even with SB...

Hey, welcome scubasteve. Check the forum rules, they will help you generate better posts that will get more responses. A few things about your post.
1 - Don't post results in the original posts. Your feedback will be better that way. After you get enough responses you can post results if you want.
2 - Giving descriptions on other players in the hand and the table helps others understand your decisions. Were the two callers nitty, were they limping every hand, what was the table like, and what were these particular Villains like?
3 - How much does each V have in play, how much does hero have?
4 - Pot size on each street.

Given all this, AP. I agree, fold pre. AP, flop check is good, turn bet is $20, river bet is $40 and fold to any raise. The board is also paired so there are more than flushes to worry about if Vs are limping AQs in straddled pots.

It helps if you include starting stack for you and opponents.

Is this a game where the button straddle starts UTG and skips the button and goes to the blind if no one raises?

This is a spot where you should fold pre regardless, especially out of the SB.

On the turn I'm assuming you lead for $30 and didn't raise?

On the river I would bet smaller and fold to a raise. Only hands that can call you have you beat other than possibly AK making a hero call.

Pf just fold as you're calling more from the worst position with a bad hand and now you have an additional player that can raise behind you.

As played flop check is std.

Turn bet smaller for value. Potting it multiway not the best sizing because you are narrowing the ranges people can continue with here and some of that range has you beat.

Same thing on river. I prefer a smaller bet.

Play big cards.

IP or OP.

Even for 1/2 a blind in small blind.

Or anywhere else.

If we flop trips our kicker sucks.

If we flop two pair they are never top two.

If we bink a flush anywhere in the hand, you found out what happens - it doesn't happen all the time but it rains on our parade all the same.

Play a better range than our Villains.

42s isn't a better range than any of our Villains.

This is just me thinking out loud.

I am not a noted poker authority.

But I try to fold suited connectors smaller than 98.

Now and then my resolve weakens and I play 87.

Your mileage may vary.

FOLD PRE

In my room, with a Button straddle the SB acts first preflop, so super easy fold in this case. Even if SB is acting near last preflop, I still think it's a fold unless our opponents are really really bad due to poor RIO on this hand (i.e. against competent opponents we're never happy getting lots of chips into the pot with almost any "good" hand we make with 42s).

I'd more semi-bluff the flop if our draw was more nuttish because only then am I happy building a pot. With this low draw, I'm fine checking and keeping the pot small.

I'd also bet the turn. I'd probably bet slightly less but whatever.

With $120 in the pot and only $140 behind and the top card pairing on the river, I think an argument could be made for shoving the river for max value against Kx. However, Kx typically bets the flop on drawy boards, although it's possible it didn't due to a weak kicker. Two turn callers is a little concerning, but no one bet the flop (and flush draws often do). Next time don't post results as it will bias responses; I don't hate the river play but it may depend a lot on our image and the type of opponents we are up against. Against straightforward reggish opponents with an ABC image ourselves, might be better to bet no more than a 1/2 PSB and then make a hero fold to a raise.

GcluelessNLnoobG