The Straight Flush draw is probably one of the rarest draws in Hold’Em, free online poker or the like. You have, say, 8d-7d and the flop comes 5d-6d-K. Anyone who has A-K has the best hand, but is not the favorite.
Assuming your opponent’s hand does not improve after three of a kind, you are the slight favorite to win the pot (54 to 46). If your opponent doesn’t have Diamonds, you still have 15 more outs to complete a Straight or Flush (9 Diamonds, 4 Fours and 4 Nines, and 2 less to avoid the excessive count of 4d and 9d that will give you the unlikely Straight Flush ) and that translates to a 54% chance of completing your hand.
There are many ways to play this hand and many possible analyzes. Let’s look at some strong options.
1. You can face your opponent in an all-in game. Since the odds in favor of you completing a made hand are 54 to 46, almost the same as QQ defeating AK, here’s a question you want to ask yourself if you go all-in or put your opponent all-in: I’m willing to do the same with a small pair if you know that my opponent will call with two overcards?
If the answer is Yes, you can proceed. Otherwise, there are much more palatable options for you Judi Online. The point is that this is one of the possible ways. If you get paid, treat as Q-Q against A-K. If your opponent folds, that’s fine; you won the pot.
However, instead of ending the hand abruptly, you may want to keep your opponent on hold to get the maximum amount, so there are other ways.
2. You can play as if it were a straight or a flush draw. If my opponent plays weak, then I play weak too, or I bet. I can decide to increase the pot by betting heavily (but not yet). If you hit Straight or Flush, proceed with the usual slow-play or value-bet.
The only concern is that a higher Flush is possible for your opponent, but call it. Now, if your opponent plays hard, you can always go back to first place. If your opponent has the Set, you still have 54 to 46.
3. You can also call big bets more than big bets if you only have a straight or a flush draw. Any bet your opponent makes can be paid, because any bet will give you pot odds. Ideally, you should be the one to bet (or raise), but in case you want to play slow and wait for you to hit and catch your opponent later, you can do that too.
4. Finally, there is an option to not play at all. Consider; let’s say you two are among the top 20% in chips in a tournament (for example, in a tournament with 50 players remaining, both are in the top 10).
Now that your opponent suddenly moves all-in, you should consider: You haven’t done anything yet. The highest pair may still be the favorite. Your opponent can also have the Set. Now, because your stack is comfortable, give up and wait for a less risky situation.
I hope it was interesting and helps your poker game, whether it’s a free or cash poker game. It should certainly show that in any poker game situation, there are options to be considered based on the cards you have, the stage of the game, the opposition and the known and estimated risk, to name just a few. If you are new to this way of thinking, by far the best way to progress is to practice A LOT on free online poker game sites and ONLY when you are consistently winning, move on to real money bets.