Quote Originally Posted by unlucky#
i'm first to act after the flop, i have a flush draw, and i want to bet instead of checking, how do i know how much to bet to make my pot odds favorable or am i supposed to check in this kind of situation? thanks.
The best odds you get are when you check and your opponent checks. That gives you infinite pot odds to hit your draw. The only times you want to bet a hand like this are

a) blocking bet that is smaller than the bet your opponent would make if you check.

b) semi-bluff if you think he has a chance of folding

c) deception if you think a bet here will make your opponent think you didnt hit a draw and he'll pay you off big . (<- wont work against most players.)

You work out the pot odds for a) and b) exactly as you usually would. Compare the amount you stand to win with the amount you stand to lose. To decide if its a good bet you need to compare that with the probability it will work and you will take down the pot.