2/4, folding an A high flush

[Kakafoni]

Was the intention to repop the flop or to wait for the turn?

[Triumph36]

I'm calling the river.

You want to build a pot so you can get it AI ASAP. Another spade kills your action and the board pairing sucks too. That's 17 bad cards on the flop and 20 on the river. Fastplaying, OTOH, gets marginal hands to call the flop because they never think you have a flush, and lets you get all the money in against a lower flush before another spade can fall or the board can pair. Your goal isn't to win small to mid sized pots - it's to stack people. This is basic NL theory at work here and why slowplaying is almost never correct except in meta-game situations and when you have the deck crushed.

[Rotterdaum]

I'd most likely raise a bet

[CopTHIS]

As played, I think I may make a crying call on the river - you only need to win 20% of these. Sometimes I'd c/c the river but it's easy to be a wise-arse after the event with these hands.

[KingGordy]

Checking isn't as horrible as most are making it sound here, but I like betting a bit more. Good fold on the river.

[T-God]

Triumph said it good. You have to build a pot.

[billyjex]

in my experience nobody ever [censored] folds, ever. bet the flop.

[Rotterdaum]

Triumph, I appreciate you writing that out. you're being contstructive, thanks for that.

But I have to say I don't buy it. I think the odds of getting action by betting on the flop are really bad. Look, I'm 2nd out of 5 to act, and did I mention my image is tight? What range of hands exactly calls there with just limpers preflop? I think I'm more likely to get paid by something if I check the flop. True I'll play a bigger pot if i bet and get called, but I don't think this will happen that often. And if they don't improve they are hardly dancing on turn. And if they improve to a flush, they aren't going broke against you. Why can't a random preflop limper have a flush here? A bet is perfectly reasonable for a flush here and that's why peope are going to be very paranoid of it.

[billyjex]

dude wtf kind of online poker do you play? people don't think beyond their own hands

[Rotterdaum]

Anyway, I'm just trying to justify my check on the flop ... Bet is obviously good there but I don't think a check is half bad either.

My main question here, I guess is, as played, do you bet river,and do you call the raise?