.50/1.00 NL $100 max buy-in Gaming Club
Opponent- no read

Stacks- both around $100

Dealt [Tc] on the button. Couple of limpers, I call. BB checks.

FLOP $6.50 6 players
[2c][4c]
Flush draw for kenny!

BB checks, UTG+1 (opponent) bets $4. MP and Cutoff call, I call as well.

TURN $22.5 4 players
[2c][4c][Td]
I have top pair King kicker with a flush draw.

UTG+1 bets $2 ??!!!
MP and cutoff call.
I raise to $16.
UTG+1 calls quickly, everyone else folds.


RIVER $58.50 2 players
[2c][4c][Td][Th]

I tripped but don't like my hand all that much after that big call on the turn by UTG+1.

UTG checks, I check. UTG mucks [9c]. I win with trip 10s.


Whew! Higher flush draws are not cool..this is usually why I avoid playing garbage like [[Tc], but on the button it seemed so pretty. I did think I played the hand well though. I felt if I bet the river, the only thing calling me(or raising) was a better hand. The full house and straight were on my mind after my opponents big call on the turn.

I suppose he could have held a high pocket pair, but I still didn't feel strongly about my hand. In any case..he would not have called a bet with his missed draw.


Thoughts?! Anyone play this differently?

I think you played it just fine. I don't mind a value bet on the river as his play up to the river doesn't indicate a set, but as you said he's probably not paying you off if he doesn't have you beat.

I think the $2 bet on the turn looks very strange. I can't think of a scenario where the player would have a straight or a set where they would bet less on the turn than they did on the flop with two opponents still in the game (and a two flush on the flop). If they had either the set or the straight they would still need to worry about a flush coming on the river, and would want to bet more to make the odds wrong to draw (even bad players will do this somewhat instinctively).

So what could they have? A flush draw seems reasonable (though that may be helped by me knowing the outcome). If I had to guess it would have been A5c, for the small pair with gutshot and nut flush draw. But any suited ace for the flush draw seems the most likely. But with this holding, I can't see him paying you off when neither a 3 or a club comes on the river. I think the only way you're going to get paid on the river is if he hits Ace on the river.

I might have made a small value bet, but you can only do this if you are pretty sure of your read and are willing to pay a raise on the river.

Don't see a problem in the way you played it. I figure the only hands that would call or raise you, are hands that are beating you, like say a rivered full house, etc. Actually, the only other hands I can think of that would call are something like 88 99 JJ. If he did have any of these hands, he would obviously be betting the flop. Then the turn raise would probably really shake him up, but not to the point of folding.

Careful though, if somebody has good notes on you and KNOWS that you react to block bets by raising huge, then someone can use that against you.