Flopping a Draw

You will often limp in with a suited connector or a suited ace and flop a draw, sometimes a big draw. Usually, you will want to keep playing, but how you should play is not always clear-cut. Sometimes it is even right to abandon your draw despite having caught what otherwise would be considered a good flop. The following six hands, taken from live games, discuss some of these situations. Because they are taken from live games, the preflop play is not always correct. However, some of the more interesting post-flop problems are often the result of a questionable preflop play.

Hand No. 1 ($10-$20 game): You limp in from middle position with the K 10 behind two early-position players. Everyone folds to the button, who calls, as does the small blind. The big blind raises and everyone calls. There is $120 in the pot and six players. The flop is J 9 3, giving you a flush draw, a gutshot-straight draw, and an overcard. The small blind checks and the big blind bets. The first early-position player folds, but the second early-position player calls. What should you do?

Answer: Raise. With anywhere from 12 to 15 outs and two cards to come, you are a mathematical favorite to make a flush, a straight, or top pair by the river, and you will be going to the river with this hand. This is a big pot, having been raised preflop with six players in the hand. You are really raising for value with a big draw like this one.

In the actual hand, the player raised. Both the button and the small blind folded. The big blind reraised and the other early-position player folded rather than call a double raise back to him. The player called. The turn was the A. Both players checked. The river was the K. The big blind bet and the player called, having made a pair of kings at the river. He won, as the big blind had the Q Q. The button moaned and stated that he had had the A 3.

Hand No. 2 ($10-$20 game): You are in the big blind with the J 8. An early-position player limps in, as do two middle-position players and the small blind. You take a free play. There is $50 in the pot and five players. The flop arrives with the 9 6 5, giving you a gutshot-straight draw, a backdoor-flush draw, and an overcard. It is checked to the early-position player, who bets. The two middle-position players call and the small blind folds. What should you do?

Answer: Fold, but it is close. There is $80 in the pot and it costs you $10 to close the betting and see the turn. These are pot odds of 8-to-1. Your gutshot-straight draw is an 11-to-1 shot. One could argue that your overcard outs and runner-runner flush possibilities make this a call, plus you figure to collect additional money if you hit (implied odds). The problem is that even if you hit your gutshot, this puts four parts to a straight on the table, allowing anyone else with an 8 to split the pot with you. Although quite unlikely, you could even make your straight and lose to someone with 10-8 who makes a bigger straight. If no one else has an 8, the very presence of all of those straight cards may stifle future action, thereby limiting any additional money you might collect.

Hand No. 3 ($20-$40 game): You are on the button with the Q J. An early-position player limps in, as do two middle-position players. The cutoff raises. You make a dubious call from the button with your big suited connector, because it looks like the blinds are going to play and this rates to be a big multihanded pot. Everyone calls. There is $280 in the pot and seven players. The flop arrives with the K 10 10, giving you an open-end straight draw. It is checked to the preflop raiser, who bets. What should you do?

Answer: Call, don't raise. There is an intermediate pair on the table and you have six opponents. There is an outside chance that someone has trips and could fill up even if you hit your draw. Hands like A-10 and 10-9 are common limping hands. There is even a remote chance that someone has limped in with K-10 and is already full. Of course, you are going to play, but the presence of an open pair in the playing zone weakens the argument for raising instead of just calling. Furthermore, your draw is an ordinary one, and there is no point in driving out players.

Hand No. 4 ($20-$40 game): You are in the cutoff seat with the 10 8. An early-position player and two middle-position players call. You call, as does the button. There is $130 in the pot and six players. The flop is J 6 5, giving you a flush draw. It is checked to you. While you are deciding what to do, the button bets out of turn. The dealer informs the button that he has acted out of turn, so the button withdraws his bet. You decide to check, the button bets, and the big blind folds. The early-position player raises and the first middle-position player reraises. The second middle-position player folds. What should you do?

Answer: Fold. With this much action and this many players, the chances of your drawing dead are quite high. You would have to call three bets cold plus expose yourself to further raising. Playing on is wrong, because it is too easy to find yourself pinned between a big made hand and a bigger draw. In the actual hand, one player had flopped a set, which turned into a full house when the 6 came at the river. One of the other two players made a king-high flush with this river card.

Hand No. 5 ($10-$20 game): You are on the button with the A 5. Everyone limps in except an early-position player and a middle-position player, who fold. The small blind also limps in. There is $80 in the pot and eight players. The flop arrives with the Q 10 3, giving you the nut-flush draw. The small blind checks, and the big blind bets. An early-position player, a middle-position player, and the cutoff call. What should you do?

Answer: Unclear. Raising looks good because you are getting very favorable pot odds even if only a few players call your raise. Raising may also get you a free card later if you choose. You have an ace overcard, which may give you some additional outs, especially if the field gets narrowed should the original bettor decide to three-bet. On the other hand, just calling has some merit. You avoid giving the original bettor the opportunity to drive out players by three-betting. This will keep players on weaker draws tied in, which may allow you to win more money if you make your flush. By weaker draws, I am referring to straight draws as well as players who have middle pair or bottom pair. Another flush draw will probably play regardless, but in that case you have lost two of your flush outs. I suspect most good players would raise, but I don't think it is as one-sided as many would believe.

Hand No. 6 ($10-$20 game): You are in middle position with the A 5 and limp in behind an early-position limper. Another middle-position player calls, as does the small blind. There is $50 in the pot and five players. The flop arrives with the 8 6 4, giving you the nut-flush draw and a gutshot-straight draw. Both blinds and the early-position player check. What should you do?

Answer: Bet. With 12 outs and two cards to come, you are almost even money to make a big hand. The ace overcard could give you three more outs. No one has shown any strength, and you might even win the pot outright without ever having to make anything.

Editor's note: Jim Brier has co-authored a new book with Bob Ciaffone entitled Middle Limit Holdem Poker, and it is available through Card Player.