Say I'm playing at a weak loose shorthanded table. We all have close to each other's chip stacks.

I'm holding AsQc as the button and raise to 4xBB.
SB and BB both call.

The flop comes Ah 6h 2s. How much should I bet?



I've flopped top pair with a decent kicker, but there is two to a flush on the board. I have trouble with this in that I don't want to bet too much...but I don't want to be too little. How much is right?

If they have a flush draw then both a 1/2 and 2/3 pot bet won't give them the right odds to draw since odds against hitting on the turn are 4:1. A 1/2 pot bet gives them 3:1 and a 2/3 pot bet gives them 2.5:1.

You bet AT LEAST the pot here. Don't make them chases the flush for cheap money.

The absolute smallest I'd want to be betting would be 2/3 the pot. This still wouldn't be giving them the odds to call but it could be tempting for a slightly loose player on a flush draw.

Personally I'd be inclined to overbet the pot and try to snatch it there.. show extreme strength and give anybody that's chasing the draw the impression that if they don't hit on the turn they'll have to call a monster bet to see the river.

If it was the other way around and you had the flush draw how much would you bet if it has been checked to you but there is one person after you left to act?
And what should you call up to there has already been a bet?
I would say half the pot in both situations? But I could easily be wrong...

Sorry to hijack the thread a little

It's important to know how deep stacks are behind here. It goes to implied odds-- your opponent might be justified in calling even a pot sized bet if you are going to stack off for a large dollar amount when he hits.

Also, what do we know about our opponent: is a call here definitely the flush draw, or could he have a weaker ace? Again, will you have to call on the end if the flush card hits and he bets?

Originally Posted by umofo

If it was the other way around and you had the flush draw how much would you bet if it has been checked to you but there is one person after you left to act?
And what should you call up to there has already been a bet?
I would say half the pot in both situations? But I could easily be wrong...

Sorry to hijack the thread a little

If I'm on a flush draw I'll bet 1/4th the pot. If I know I'll have a lot of callers I can easily bet more, maybe 1/2 the pot

Originally Posted by aliengenius

It's important to know how deep stacks are behind here. It goes to implied odds-- your opponent might be justified in calling even a pot sized bet if you are going to stack off for a large dollar amount when he hits.

Also, what do we know about our opponent: is a call here definitely the flush draw, or could he have a weaker ace? Again, will you have to call on the end if the flush card hits and he bets?

Yes I suppose you're right. At the tables I play at most have around 100x the BB to start with and generally most won't have much more without being a decent player.

Originally Posted by t1riel

You bet AT LEAST the pot here. Don't make them chases the flush for cheap money.

couldnt agree more!

My choice of 3/4 pot wasn't there, so I just picked 2/3 which is the closest. I don't understand all the choices of pot here. You want callers, especially if they have a flush draw. AG mentioned though important things to consider. 1/2 pot takes away odds but you want to bet slightly more because of implied odds.

To all who say bet pot, a question: Do you understand the fundamental theory behind poker in that you want opponents to make mistakes? If you bet pot here almost no flush draws call you. You basically take away the opportunity to make a mistake from all flush draws besides the calling stations. Now if you're facing a calling station that's fine, but you want to bet enough such that they will not have odds (includes implied odds) to call with the flush draw and where they will call with the flush draw.

You make an interesting point. I do usually bet somewhere between .75 and .66 the pot