12-19-05, LearnTexasHoldem:
Trips With Flush Draw On Flop
This happens frequently to me and it's always hard to play because you don't want to bet too high to the point in which everyone folds but you don't want to check it to let them pick up their free flush but then again whatever you do bet to keep them in will… do exactly that, keep them in. How do you go about playing these hands? What do you do if the flush card hits on the turn? The full house is also a possibility but let's not factor that in, also let's not factor in being out kicked.
Thanks
-Jarrett
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Answer:
The first inclination when you flop a monster, one that is really obvious, is to not bet. At face value this seems like a good strategy but it is used so often that it makes it much less useful than you would assume. Say you flop A-3-3 out of one of the blinds. After someone bets, who everyone can safely guess has an Ace, and you just call, it is fairly obvious when raise later that you have the 3.
I think a better solution is to sometimes play the hand how it should actually be played. Instead of just calling here on the flop and check raising later, why not check raise immediately. Check raise an amount that isn't designed to shut anyone out, but just to say, I have something too. What this does is to make the opponents think you actually have less of a hand than you really do. They think, "if he did actually have trips, he wouldn't raise now, he would slow play them."
Most players would assume you have a hand that you are trying to protect or figure out the strength of now, like AJ when the flop is A-3-3. When you check raise, check raise just double what the other player bet. If he bets 200, check raise to 400. You do this because most people will call the rest of the money if they already have half in.
Now, does this strategy change depending on if there is a flush draw or not? Or if the board is really coordinated? No. Build a pot some, get some value for your hand. The flushes and straight draws will call. You aren't trying to shut them out. Make them pay some to see the turn card. Then if the flush draw misses, try to bet an amount that can get called by a worse hand.
What you are hoping to have happen is for someone to pick up one of their cards on the turn and misread your hand since you played it deceptively on the flop by actually betting. Say the person has AK and the flop is 994. He catches the A on the turn.
This is where you can make some money. You can do something that feigns weakness and hopefully have him bite. Against a flush draw you want to get some money in, then make it incorrect to call to see the river, but still not shut him out.
If the opponent misses the flush on the turn card, with only one card to come, he has around a 4:1 to hit it. Since you already have built a pot, your turn bet can be a good size. And since he has already put a lot of chips in, you may get another nice bet from him. See, we don't fear being drawn out in no limit holdem. You are charging someone to draw against you and sometimes they hit. That's fine, the majority of time they won't and you'll get your tax. With a very strong hand like trips, my biggest fear is not getting action.
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