Game plays typically pretty loose and passive. Lots of limping preflop, and check/calling postflop. People don't usually fold top pair good kicker in this game.

Villain UTG+1 ($300): 50's overweight white male. He's new to the table, and I haven't ever played with him before. This is his first 10-15 minutes, and he hasn't done or said much of anything.

Hero SB ($1000): 30's black male. I have a reputation as one of the better players in this game, and a consistent winner. A few of us were talking shortly before this about a deep run I had in a WSOP event this summer, though I don't know if villain heard it or cared. I was assuming that based on my stack size, he'd pin me as a competent thinking player.

Three other villains in the hand, all with stack sizes around $300, are all pretty typical loose/passive calling stations.

The small blind busted the hand before this, so hero is in the small blind, but posted a big blind of $2. The button posted $1.

Preflop: Villain raises to $7. Two callers in MP. Hero calls from SB with A 6. BB calls.

Flop: A T 4.
Hero checks. BB checks. Villain bets $15. Both MPs fold. Hero???

I've been struggling mightily with the course of action on a hand like this. Almost always villain has an ace here, with of course a bigger kicker than mine. My default play lately has been to check-raise, then lead any turn. I'm able to put max aggression and potentially fold out a hand like AJ, especially if villain views me as a solid player. And of course I have my draw to fall back on if he hangs around.

However, I've started thinking more about calling, then leading turns as a bit of a blocking bet to set the price for my draw. For example, I could call the small $15 here, then (assuming I miss) donk out $20 or something like that. The typical passive fish in this game won't know what that means, and are very unlikely to raise, meaning I've set the price for my draw, instead of villain.

Too FPS? Should I just play it straightforward? (i.e. call the flop, bet if I hit, check if I miss, and call/fold depending on odds laid by a villain turn bet?)

Fold Pre: Ax type hands OOP are hard to play. Since there's a pf raise, you're almost always out-kicked

Flop: Call, you want to induce the BB to call as well to make your flush draw worth it.

I'm raising here. TP with the nut flush draw? Big flop for your hand OOP. Build the pot.

I would raise to 40 and if he calls, I would assume I get a free card on river if the flush misses.

How much do you like a b/c to build the pot? If you c/r you might get 3bet, and if you do get 3bet you need a diamond then, possibly a 6 will help but sometimes not.

You're not going to get 3-bet very often.

I'm OK with playing big pots with hands like this.

Board: Td 4d As
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 42.008% 40.42% 01.59% 17205 678.00 { Ad6d }
Hand 1: 57.992% 56.40% 01.59% 24009 678.00 { AA, TT, 44, ATs+, A4s, ATo+, A4o }

I've been experimenting with calling otf and leading ott if a blank hits as well - it also gives you fold equity which is nice. The downside is that it can put you in some tricky situations oop if you get raised, or if you get called and don't hit on the river (because you have showdown value but if you check V can put you in a tough spot).

Against an unknown player I think I prefer calling otf. You don't know what your x/r will mean to him and your fold equity is therefore unknown. Also, you have no idea what his pfr sizing is normally, so its difficult to range him. Obviously you're still at about 40% against a range of 44 and A10+ so x/r isn't terrible, but I would wait until I have a better idea of how my opponent plays so life ott and otr is easier.