SnG strategy: flopped flush, crappy kickers

[|~|ypermegachi]

it's come to my attention that i suck at sngs. i checked my records, and wow i suck. so i gotta get better at them! so here's a hypothetical question, and a common problem most people will run into once in a while.

you're the BB, you have two rags that are suited. about half the table calls the BB, you check, and the flop comes and makes your flush. you are first to act, what do you do?

check. i don't like this because it allows others to get a free card, and just one more suited card and you're screwed.

small raise. this will probably get rid of a few, but any of the people that hit anything decent will stay in with you, all the flush drawers will call you.

huge raise, like 1/3 of your stack. you're letting people know you hit the hand and you want all flush drawers to get bad odds to call you.

all in, probably excessive version of the huge raise

what would you do?

[HeavyP]

Most people will disagree with me, but if I'm playing a suited rag that I saw for free, then I don't want to lose any money in that pot. Honestly, I'm not shooting for a flush there, I'm hoping to hit two pair. Therefore I have no problem just checking it through, with maybe a re-raise if anyone tries a small bet. And laying it down if need be.

[a500lbgorilla]

I always make a decent sized bet so say "If you wanna come at me, you better be swinging more than my small flush." If they come over top, i'm very willing to let that hand go.

-'rilla

[michael1123]

I checkraise the flop. You said half the table called, so you shouldn't be expecting for it to check around, unless the game is extremely passive. If I'm a small stack, I'd raise all in at the flop. If not, I'd raise to the size of the pot and shove on the turn, as long as a 4th to that suit doesn't come.

You shouldn't be expecting someone to have flopped a higher flush until they give you reason to believe so, from how they bet.

[|~|ypermegachi]

I checkraise the flop. You said half the table called, so you shouldn't be expecting for it to check around, unless the game is extremely passive. If I'm a small stack, I'd raise all in at the flop. If not, I'd raise to the size of the pot and shove on the turn, as long as a 4th to that suit doesn't come.

You shouldn't be expecting someone to have flopped a higher flush until they give you reason to believe so, from how they bet.

would you be worried about slowplayers? if someone had Ax suited, they would probably slowplay that thing. but i guess if that happened you'd be screwed no matter how you play it.

let's say the pot was about 200 after all the calling. you check, and someone raises about 1/5 of their stack, another 200 to make the pot 400. you have 1000. would this be a fold or a reraise all in? if they are semi-bluffing you're screwing yourself. if you're wrong then you're outta the tourny. let's throw in there's still 10 people, so there's no bubble play folding into the money here.

[HeavyP]

I am not a proffessional by any means, but I finish ITM in stars SNGS I play (5$-20$) roughly 67% of the time according to poker tracker. My feeling about suited rags in the big blind is that, you don't want to lose money in a hand you would originally play. I'm hoping for a two pair with that not a flush (assuming my rags were <10). I have no problem losing my blind on a hand like that.

[RD Olivaw]

I don't think you mentioned what your own stack would be in this situation and how big the blinds are.

Definately a tough situation here. Assuming the blind wasn't a signifiant piece of your stack I think I'd throw out a standard raise at the flop. Most hands will fold to an obvious made flush unless they have it also or are drawing to the nut flush. Try to check through a call, and fold to a re-raise.

If the blind is a big chuck of you, I think you have no option but to push.

[Krapp]

I wouldnt bet too big but I would bet at least the size of the pot. I rather represent top pair with a lead bet and give the impression i am discouraging flush draws. I wouldnt hesitate going all in if given the chance too. Check/Raise might be ok too, but that practically conveys you have a made flush

[michael1123]

Leading at the flop with a pot sized bet is ok too. I personally rarely ever lead at a pot from the blinds if I hit the flop big and there were a lot of callers (so you know it's unlikely to be checked around - don't need to worry about giving a free card), but I see the case for it here.

And sure, check raising tips them off that you hit the flop big, but it protects you from the higher flush draws. Plus, the main point of it obviously is to get more into the pot before you make the big bet. If one of the other players fires out a sizeable bet and there's a call or two in front of you, its a beautiful situation where you can shove in and pick up all those extra chips with minimal risk of a draw calling you.

would you be worried about slowplayers? if someone had Ax suited, they would probably slowplay that thing. but i guess if that happened you'd be screwed no matter how you play it.

Well yeah, maybe on the turn or river if they're calling big bets. But why does it seem like you are expecting someone to have a higher flush? There's only 8 of the suit left in the deck. There's no reason to assume that someone has been dealt two of the suit with one of their cards being higher than your highest one. They haven't even acted yet, you can't possibly be putting limpers on a hand after just limping in. You should be expecting a high flush draw or two though, with 5 people limping in.

let's say the pot was about 200 after all the calling. you check, and someone raises about 1/5 of their stack, another 200 to make the pot 400. you have 1000. would this be a fold or a reraise all in? if they are semi-bluffing you're screwing yourself. if you're wrong then you're outta the tourny. let's throw in there's still 10 people, so there's no bubble play folding into the money here.

Yeah, I'm raising all in in this circumstance. With the pot already being big compared to my stack, I'm not worried about trying to get cute and slowplay it. Folding doesn't even enter my mind, I'm more likely to slowplay this than fold. Its unlikely someone would lead at a pot with a potsized bet with a high flush and certainly not the nut flush. Their bet looks more like a high flush draw or a big hand that's not a flush. I'd actually make this play on the bubble as well. I play to win, and there's no reason for me to think I don't have the best hand here.

There are situations where I'd fold though, of course. If I check, a player after me makes a solid bet, a guy raises him all in, and a guy after him calls the all in, all before me, its a pretty obvious fold, someone has to have a high flush here. But check folding to an average bet with a low flopped flush is pretty silly, I think.