One of the largest leaks in my game is when I open with a decent pair (1010 or better) and the flop comes 3 under cards with 2 being suited. Its common today for folks to call opening raises with lower suited connectors and gappers. These flops allow for all kinds of opportunity with straights and flush draws plus they also can hit 2 pair or the dreaded set. So I make the cbet 2/3 pot trying to get value for the over pair and defend vs the drawing hands. Often at this time the villain will re-raise the looking to get both streets of the draw for cheap. Once I know their image and feel fairly good the pair is ahead I 4 bet to make them pay. Maybe this is the error but anyway often the chips get all in and they hit the draw. I go busto. So any suggestions how to defend the overpair to a flop of undercards containing 2 of a suit?
Well, in my opinion there are two different scenarios here.
Deep stacked and short stacked. This is really not short stacked scenario. In that case the money (either your short stack, or your opponents) is going in !
With deep stacks, the game becomes implied odds. People call the flop with any range of speculative hands, hoping to destack you. In a deep stack game, your bets are not really to make somebody fold.
They must gather you information !
If you have multi callers to your preflop raise, your over pair is already vulnerable. SO 1st thing in a deep stack game is not to let other deep stacks see the flop too cheap. BUT, if 3 people come along (excluding you), you already have problems. SO more than 2 callers I already advise caution. At least one of the 3 called with a pocket pair, someone probably called with AQ AJ suited and somebody probably has a lower 67 78 89 suited.
When a flop comes 2 cards of a suite, or coordinated (456 7810 89 J) you need to be careful.
Even more careful if it's coordinated and suited.Your continuation bet here will not move someone off the hand if they have hit a draw. Will AJ (of diamonds) be moved off a 457 (2 diamond) flop ? Never, NO CHANCE !
SO my question is this ?
What does your continue bet achieve ?
Against 3 opponents, I believe it achieves very little. Against 1 or 2 opponent/s it is worth it. Against 3 or more, NO, someone will have hit something !
Against 2 or less opponents make a 3/4 pot sized bet. You can win the hand right here.
Against 3 or more, make a 2/5th's pot sized bet to gain information. An opponent with a draw would probably flat call. AN opponent with a made hand will probably reraise you!
You must find out your strength, relative to theirs ! Don't overpay for this information !
Understand that if someone is on a draw, and you bet big (on the flop), they will probably raise you all in. Do you want to be all in or pot committed with 1 over pair ? Probably not !
At this stage they normally have 10 outs x 2 cards to come, so you are prob a 2-1 fav to win the hand (assuming your overpair is good at this stage). If you get the money in on the turn, and show more caution on the flop, you reduce the variance massively (you are now a 4-1 favorite).
Hopefully, your opponent is a decent player, and also understands that they are a 4-1 underdog, to make their draw on the river.
So it's situation dependent.
Big stacks or small stacks.
How many callers to your raise.
Your position in the hand.
The actual flop (overcards or coordinated board) ?
the bottom line is you are fighting
variance, and the easiest way to reduce variance is to get more money in on the turn, instead of the flop.