€20 NLHE 6-max: Is he having a better flush?

Villian Stats (VPIP/PFR/AF): 28/20/2

This was a very tough hand. He showed a lot of strength in turn from an early position against multiple opponents. But I have two spades in my hand, so he having a flush is very unlikely. I decided to call because my own stats say my leak is I fold too easily on Turn and River. I want to fix that. What do you think, did I make the right decisions? I will reveal later what he had.



iPoker - €0.20 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 62.7 BB (VPIP: 43.48, PFR: 4.35, 3Bet Preflop: 7.14, hands: 24)
Hero (BTN): 55.6 BB
SB: 100 BB (VPIP: 34.76, PFR: 27.46, 3Bet Preflop: 9.70, Hands: 409)
BB: 103 BB (VPIP: 28.49, PFR: 19.55, 3Bet Preflop: 7.69, Hands: 368)
UTG: 151.1 BB (VPIP: 71.88, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 97)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 4♠ 5♠

UTG calls 1 BB, CO calls 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB, SB calls 0.5 BB, BB checks

Flop: (5 BB, 5 players) 8♠ 2♠ 5♣
SB checks, BB bets 3.3 BB, UTG calls 3.3 BB, CO calls 3.3 BB, Hero calls 3.3 BB, fold

Turn: (18.2 BB, 4 players) 3♠
BB bets 13.1 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 13.1 BB

River: (44.4 BB, 2 players) 7♥
BB bets 25.75 BB, Hero calls 25.75 BB

????

This is indeed a pretty rough spot, and right off the bat its absolutely not true, that he is unlikely to have a flush. He got a free play from BB, so he can have any combination of a flush other than those containing one of the 5 seen cards. Maybe he would have raised some of the very strongest like AsKs, but its totally plausible, that all the others get knocked back against 4 limpers.

And the other thing is, what else is he betting with on the turn into 3 other players, who all called him on the flop? Is that a bluff or a straight for value? I dont think so, especially because he is one of the more solid looking players on the table.

Also you have the nut low flush, so this is actually a spot, where I dont think, its profitable in the long run to call down. I think, you are looking at a better flush here way more than those 70% of the time, that is your break-even point for calling.

And actually this kind of boil down to preflop, and why I dont like limping behind with a hand like this. If I was going to play it, then I would much rather make a big isolation raise and try to get one of the limpers heads up.

Many people believe, that small suited connectors are like small pairs and play fantastic multiway. But that is absolutely not true. They depend a lot on semi-bluffing, and would you rather semi-bluff against one or four players? The obvious answer is against one, because one player might have missed a flop like this, but four players are very unlikely to all have missed.

Small suited connectors also suffer a lot from reverse implied odds, especially when you make a flush. Because 5 people saw the flop, because are basically not going to showdown with anything less than a flush, and if a fourth spade come on the river, your hand is more or less garbage. So you made one of the best hands, you possibly could, and you hand is still no more than a vulnerable bluff catcher.

Conclusion: Fold or raise preflop, and as played find a bucket and fold on the river.

Personally id just fold pre i dont think 54s is strong enough to iso with but as played just call down. No need to raise and villain can have plenty of worse value hands with this turn and river sizing.

Since you played with half battery, you must go all in on the turn or make fold.
You have a low color and possibility of color stairs. It is also possible that the villain has a better color or maybe, a set he wants to defend.
Either way, making a call on the turn would not be profitable, since you would have invested 1/3 of your capital and given the villain more possibilities.
Poker coaches do not recommend playing with a half stack in No Limit Holdem. Only full battery.
Greetings.

He could have any two cards. As played, I think just calling the river bet with your lowest possible flush is OK. If another spade had come on the river and he bet that big, you would have had to fold.

If it's anything most players are careful about is when a possible flush is out, especially multi-way.


So if villain doesn't have a flush it is rare that they bluff with say a naked ace of spades on the river. And it is also rare that they semi-bluff on the turn against several players. So if you have no read that the player can over-value straights or worse it is a fold since he has almost no bluffs ever.

I expected a jam or something on river but that 60% river bet.. just a super easy call vs some oponents even raise. Never ever folding

Thank you for great answers. I made the right decision, he had a STRAIGHT!

The junior flush is quite often found against the older flush, this is a fairly common phenomenon, so you need to be prepared to see a stronger hand. In fact, I do not think that your opponent (lag) will be so easy to part with his money without value, most likely his hand is really strong. In truth, in this case, time bank matters, was there a snap move on the turn?

I'm late to the party and tainted by seeing results but what would have made me want to pay this off is the turn sizing and position. Obviously I'd want to know how he plays his value hands, his bluffs, and his monsters but going almost 3/4 pot OTT when the flush comes in seems super strong if you just made a monster. Still a nasty spot to be sure and some players will size up with monsters as well. Can't fault a river fold but I probably lean to look him up at least some of the time as well.

Which straight did he have? If it was As4x that makes sense and is one of his best value / bluffs blocking the nuts. 64 also flopped a double gutter and hit them both.

big bet

bets and raises must be equal to twice the big blind