Here are two hands that I played, one of them open ended straight flush draw and one of them is a gut shot straight flush draw. Now while I don't envision myself having to play these that often I would like to hear some opinions on the best way to play them.

I wanted to maximize my winnings if my draws hit, because if my cards did hit I think it would kill the action. I'm just not very proud of this one..here we go-

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed)

SB ($8.65)
BB ($6.15)
UTG ($10)
UTG+1 ($8.30)
MP1 ($18.35)
MP2 ($8.20)
MP3 ($11.95)
Hero ($24.50)
Button ($6.55)

Preflop: Hero is CO with , . UTG posts a blind of $0.10.
UTG (poster) checks, UTG+1 raises to $0.3, MP1 calls $0.30, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.30, Button calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20, UTG calls $0.20.

Flop: ($2.10) , , (7 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 bets $0.4, MP1 raises to $2, Hero calls $2, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds.

-most of you might not like this cold call here but as you can see we were both deep stacked, or both of us atleast had more then our original buy in's in front of us. I looked at his stack and my draw and decided it was worth it.


Turn: ($6.50) (2 players)
MP1 bets $10, Hero raises to $22.2, MP1 calls $6.05 (All-In).

River: ($44.75) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $44.75

Results in white below:
MP1 has 3c 3h (full house, threes full of nines).
Hero has 6d 8d (flush, queen high).
Outcome: MP1 wins $38.60. Hero wins $6.15.

I felt like an idiot when I moved all in on the turn, especially since I had a feeling I was way behind. I was thinking maybe he was trying to slowplay an overpair and was planning on hammering it hard on the flop. When he raises the intial raiser on the flop though I had to put him on a big hand. What else could it have been but a set! As you can see I called his flop bet which I will do everytime, especially with the deep stacks that we both have. The turn is where I really screwed myself and I am still a bit upset with how I just had called on the flop, the board paird he bets almost double the size of the pot and I move in on him. I knew I was beat, in the back of my mind I knew it. But....the pot is $16.50 giving me almost 2 to 1 and thus I think would be a correct call if all of my outs were good. Of course they were not and I lost this hand.

What would have been the optimum strategy for this hand? This is all player dependent of course which my read on his is that he was playing quite LAGish and will overplay his hands, obviously the good ones and bad ones, I also realize that my LAG read does not go along with him slowplaying a big hand pre flop, especially with somebody coming in for a raise in front of him. I guess the bottom line is I knew in the back of my mind that I was beat but maybe he had Ace nine or something like that.


Ok after having the previous hand happen to me this hand came up and you can see how I changed my strategy on this one. No pairing turn cards dammit!!!!!!
Ok first I know that calling raises UTG w/AJs is a recipe for disaster but I was getting a little over 5 to 1 on my money and if it got re-raised behind me I'm dumping this hand pre flop. If I only flop an Ace without any other draws or 2 pair I'm folding to any serious action behind me.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed)

MP3 ($3.25)
CO ($10.40)
Button ($2.10)
SB ($7.65)
BB ($12.85)
Hero ($11.15)
UTG+1 ($2.05)
MP1 ($4.95)
MP2 ($4.10)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with , .
Hero calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.10, MP2 calls $0.10, 1 fold, CO raises to $0.3, Button calls $0.30, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.20, MP1 calls $0.20, MP2 calls $0.20.

Flop: ($1.65) , , (5 players)
Hero bets $0.5, MP1 raises to $1, MP2 folds, CO folds, Button folds, Hero raises to $10.85, MP1 calls $3.65 (All-In).

Turn: ($17.15) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($17.15) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $17.15

Results in white below:
Hero has Ac Jc (flush, ace high).
MP1 has As Kh (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $17.15.




As you can see I played this one a little bit different but the stack sizes are different in this hand as well, but even if my opponent had a bigger stack I still would have made this move after he mini raised me on the flop. Should I have just smooth called like I did on the previous hand? In my mind during this hand I'm thinking "remeber a mini raise almost always means a big hand" so i just pushed because even if her did have a set I'm almost even money with him and if I just call his mini raise and I miss my draw on the turn the pot is going to be 3.65 and thats exactly what he has left and I imagine he would move all in on the turn where if he did have a set still and the board doesn't pair like in the first hand then I'm gonna be a 3 to 1 dog and the pot would be giving me 2 to 1 which I am probably going to call not being that much of a dog and thats if he has a set. He could easily have 2 pair.

Some thought's and opinions on these hands certainly be welcome. Give some detail, be specific, flame away if you must .

Thanks, DS

Hand 1 - You probably have the best of it (with your draw) on the flop. MP1's healthy raise makes me want to re-raise him to make him define his hand (ie. does he have a set?). If he re-raises, I put him on the set and figure the odds. Once the board pairs, I'm not sure I'm interested in chasing a straight or flush any more. 2 outs isn't enough.

Hand 2 - You have no fold equity on that bet. He's going to call the pot-sized re-raise because that's all he has. So basically you're betting your 12 outs are going to hit in the next 2 cards. Almost a coin flip, which I've been trying not to get involved with any more.

I don't like calling preflop with AJs in EP because you are usually dominated by any hand that raises preflop. There is only one other caller in front of you so when you call, there may only be three players in the pot and I don't like playing flush draws without four or more to the flop usually unraised. You are OOP so you dont have any leverage when you dont hit the flop. I will limp with this hand in EP hoping for more callers but will fold to any raise in front or behind me. I think more times than not you end up in a position where you have the second best hand and it will only cost you money.

Let me take a shot at answering the last question....

[6d] is sort of a suited connector, but it's really a suited one-gapper, which is slightly inferior to the true connectors. 87 makes more straights, and more nut straights than 86.

This is off the top of my head, but I think it's right:

Straights with 87: 456, 569, 69T, 9TJ. 4 straights, 3 of them the nuts.
Straights with 86: 457, 579, 79T. 3 straights, 2 of them the nuts.

So your hand isn't super-powerful. Also, UTG+1 is a little short-stacked, so your implied odds go down a little. You are in LP which is good. And there's a caller in front of you which is good. And the PF raise is only 3x the BB which is good.

Overall, you can call with this hand. But it's not wrong to fold it, either.

Thanks k3nt, that question was really bothering me. I could not see how that was a folding hand at all, but that's why I asked. I like your answer. Yeah if thats a 4-5x BB bet I'm folding, maybe( this might be a leak in my game, but I don't play alot of SC unless I am in the position I'm in). But I though both of these hands were interesting and I had some questions on them so that's why I posted them.

I am still wondering if that is what Kenny's reasoning behind a fold for this hand. Because it's a 1 gapper?

So if I'm understanding this right, calling pre flop raises with suited connectors should be limited to zero gappers, most of the time? A two gapper I can understand but a one gapper seems a bit tight to me since I have position and a caller in front of me, as you said.

The important issue is not folding or calling preflop. That's a marginal situation that isn't so important.

What does matter is you hve to get your money in on the flop, when the draw is best and folding equity highest