Page 13 - July 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Jim Mercurio: Poker
I am Superman and I Know What’s Happening: Nut Flush Draw
Part2of2
Nut Flush Draw, like a set, is a hand that can be played from any position. In last month’s column, we looked at playing the nut ush draw in the mid-late positions. Now we look at playing it from earlier positions.
First or Second to Act
is is safer. ere is only one person between you and the raiser.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
bet raise fold fold call
call
If you had a crystal ball, take your bet back. But we
see that we are getting probably 3:1 on the call with no chance of re-raise and what looks like guaranteed action. It’s a de nite call.
Summary
We see that in playing the nut flush draw we have to balance building the pot with bets with not kicking out the hands that will call us later when we hit. You might find exceptions to my rules here, but I think you will find all of the principles are sound. If you find yourself in a 2–3 way hand—especially in position—you may consider raising for variety and building the pot, especially if it looks like there will be only one player who is going to stick around in the pot.
Also, I have given you some tools with which to play nut flush draw in any position. But that doesn’t mean that you should be playing it in every position.
You will want to be in a game with at least some of these characteristics to be in play before you start playing Axs in early or mid-positions:
1) Stacks are fairly deep.
2) ere are a lot of limpers and little raising
3) Players are not making huge bets to deny odds
4) Players play weaker ush draws out of position 5) Players pay o big with non-nut ushes.
6) Your reading and pro ling skills allow you to lay
down your hand against a full house.
Now go chop them up with your Axs axe.
You can buy Jim’s lm Hard Scrambled at www.hardscrambled.com or if you like his column, contact him at jim@jamespmercurio.com.
If you knew there was a big likelihood that a player would raise your bet, then most likely he would bet himself. So in that case, you would check so that his raise doesn’t kick out the action. Example, if 2nd player is the pre op-raiser or if the 4th player is chomping at the bit to bet, then check.
players calls, are you getting your price? If so, how bad can this hand go?
Pre-flop
Raiser 1st 2nd
check bet call
1st 2nd check check fold call
If you don’t suspect a
Aggro Player 3rd
call
Pre-flop Raiser 3rd check
4th 5th fold call
Aggro Player
4th 5th bet call
e only bad thing that could happen here is if one of the middle players shoves all in and it gets folded around to you. You might be denied the odds. But in the low limits, you are probably okay. e risk of throwing your hand away once in a blue moon here is worth the potential monster pot that is looming.
raise from a later player,
you have a couple options. If the board is super scary like TJQ or 678, then just check and wait and see how it goes. You will know when it gets back to you what
you can do. Let’s say the board is scary, so you check. Notice that there is only one scenario where you de nitely have to fold.
First or Second to Act—Scary Board
1st check fold
2nd check
3rd check
4th bet
5th all-in
ere is too much uncertainty here. Assuming the all-in is a decent stack, you have been shut out of the pot. Oh, well. It didn’t cost you anything.
1st
bet
call
Unless the raise is huge, you can call here. ere is
some uncertainty, but even if #2 pushes all-in, if one other player calls, you can play for all of your money getting 3.5 or 4 to 1.
1st 2nd
check bet
call
If the stacks are huge, you might consider folding.
You are getting probably better than 4:1 on this call. Do the math. If #2 goes all in and one of the other
3rd raise
4th call
5th call
then
is is why you play poker. You get to close the action with a 6:1 call with the draw to the nuts.
However, if the board is not scary then if you are rst to act, you can take control of the hand and bet out. Out of position sucks, so if you have a shot of takingitdown,goforit.Youarealsomakingsurethat if an ace hits, you have some showdown value. You will get money from the straight draws and, of course, the ush draws probably aren’t going anywhere. Notice what I said: “If the board is not scary.” Because as we know, we don’t want a raise to scare away the lower ush draws that will be pro t for us.
Non-Scary Board—First to Act
1st 2nd check check call
3rd check
4th check
5th bet
1st 2nd check bet call
3rd call
4th call
5th call
1st 2nd bet call call
3rd fold
4th 5th
2nd call
3rd fold
4th call
5th raise
raise
call
July 2008
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Page 13
Poker: Wired Aces and River Rats