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In limit hold’em, you’ll often find yourself playing a suited ace with a small kicker.  Because Axs can make the nut flush, it’s a very valuable starting hand in a loose limit hold’em game.  You won’t play it in every game, every time you get it, but in low limit, loose games you usually will.

About the best flop you can get with a hand like As7s would be Qs 9s 7c.  This flop is actually better than  flopping the nut flush, because you will get far more action, and will make more money in the long run.

Note the texture of this flop.  Lots of hands will have something on the flop, top pair, middle pair, bottom pair, a worse flush draw than yours, various straight draws,  including open enders and gutshots.

Now note what you have: the nut flush draw.  There are nine spades which give you the nuts.  In addition, several of these spades are likely to make someone else a straight or two pair, which means you’re very likely to get action on your nut flush when you make it.

You also have bottom pair with an overcard.  Someone with a hand like AJ will often stay in on the flop.  You want them to, and you want them to catch a good, but second-best hand!  Look at how good you’re sitting if an ace comes on the turn.  Now you’ll have two pair, but AJ will only have one!

Basically with a pair and a flush draw, you have 14 outs to improve your hand.  That’s three aces for two pair, two sevens for trips, and nine spades, for a total of 14 outs.  You are usually the favorite to win, even if you don’t have the best hand on the flop.   This is very significant in that you’re going to want to get more money in the pot by raising, but also you want to keep your opponents in the pot as well.

A couple examples:

In the first situation, you’re on the button with multiple players in the pot.  On the flop, the small blind bets and several players call.  You absolutely MUST raise here, it’s a value raise, and it’s a good one.  In fact, you are hoping the betting gets capped on the flop with multiple players here, and you’re going to be the one to cap it if possible.

Next, suppose you’re in the blind here.  On the flop, you’re probably going to want to get the betting started, unless you know someone immediately to your left if likely to bet or raise.  If that’s the case, check, and then when someone in early position bets, you should probably raise them, especially if multiple players are in the pot.

14 outs means approximately a 52% chance of improvement.  Note  that improvement does not always mean that you have the winner!  But so often you will here that you want lots and lots of money to go into the pot while you’re in such a great position.

When the turn comes,  you’re still in good shape, even if you don’t immediately improve.  You may want to slow down on the betting and raising, but you’re certainly not going to fold for any number of bets (on an unpaired board, and you would rarely fold even if the board paired). *

There are some situations where you might raise your draw again on the turn as well.  These would occur when again, there are multiple players, an early position bet, and you’re in late position.  However, if you aren’t sure, it’s ok to be less aggressive on the turn with a big draw like this.  If you raised and got reraised back,  you would usually assume your opponent to have flopped a set.  Thus you’d be very concerned about making your flush, but facing a full house or quads when the board pairs on the river.

River play here is based on what you wind up with, of course.  If you miss completely, you’re often going to fold.  But don’t worry about the fact that you played aggressively earlier in the hand if that happens.   If you make two pair, you’re probably going to bet if checked to, or call, and occasionally raise (if circumstances warrant).  With trips you’ll often bet or raise but will occasionally  just call if you fear a full house.  With the nuts, play is quite obvious, but when you make the flush on a paired board, you’ll need to do some hand reading.

I hope this helps you play this type of powerful hand better in the future.

PokerGuru

*Paired boards will be discussed more thoroughly later on.

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