Flush draw with AKo
 

The table had been pretty passive (someone even limped with KK and called it down) until UTG+1 arrived some orbits ago. He raised at least 3/4 of his hands preflop so far. His standards are unknown since he never had to show his cards.

Initially I thought I played the hand well and I later was not able to find any error but I can't get it out of my head either. Something within me still has doubts. Maybe the flop could have been played differently?

Poker Stars
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $0.05/$0.1
6 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
<font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#cc0000">UTG+1 3-bets</font>, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, <font color="#cc0000">Hero caps</font>, UTG+1 calls, CO calls, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (20SB, 5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, <font color="#cc0000">UTG+1 bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">CO raises</font>, SB folds, BB calls, Hero calls, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (14BB, 4 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, <font color="#cc0000">UTG+1 bets</font>, CO calls, BB calls, Hero calls.

River: 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (18BB, 4 players)
BB checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, CO calls, BB folds.

Results:
Final pot: 21BB

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

Looks perfect

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

How would you have played the flop differently?

What are your thoughts?

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

I really like not making a continuation bet with this flop. I also like the call. The pot so big that you can definitely stick around with your draw. Well played. The only thing that registers with me as doing different is check/raising the river and trying to trap players for more bets. But I would only make this if I knew UTG+1 was going to bet.

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

[ QUOTE ]
How would you have played the flop differently?

What are your thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem is that, apart from the preflop play, I would have played the hand exactly the same way in my very first poker session. Most of the time my instincts tell me to check or to call and I know that such play is bad. I simply feared that in this hand I was following my feelings again. With another preflop action, for instance no raise and 3 callers, I think that I have to bet the flop.

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

Bet the flop!

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

[ QUOTE ]
Bet the flop!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yuck. Hero is probably not ahead and nobody is folding anything that has any chance at all to win this gigantic pot.

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

This is not a good spot for a flop continuation bet. The pot is large; you have many opponents; you're out of position; your holding is very weak and the board is fairly coordinated.

I think a river check-raise has its merits. It's not that likely that you're against the A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (or a straight-flush hand). Trapping the field for 2 bets would definitely be nice, and I don't think the river gets checked through very often.

Re: Flush draw with AKo
 

Perfect.

Betting the flop would have sucked.

I guess you could try to c/r the river, but you're going to puke if it gets checked through, and this board is scary enough that it might slow down UTG+1 (the c/r isn't as good if UTG+1 decides to check, since you'll be facing a bet from later position). Betting is fine.