What’s Your Play? Out of Position With a Flush Draw

I don't think I would have played this hand OOP here, but since you did it must be to try win a big pot (the only way playing suited connectors is a viable proposition) from a big hand. Not just that, I also hate a check/call here because I think it flips our hand face up. I can't think of a hand that you'd flat pre-flop and then check/call on this flop that wasn't a weak spade draw. AJo? JQ trying to trap? JTo? Meh, maybe, but I'd still think players are doing it too often with exactly the cards we're holding for it to be a profitable play.

So we either fold or check/raise. This isn't exactly the monster flop we hoped for to win a big pot with 78s, but it just might do the trick, so I don't think we can fold here, at least not yet. There's just not enough information to think our draw is no good, and if this guy's hand is strong enough on this flop he might not be able to let it go if we do hit.

So we have to raise and we have to call if we're re-raised. On the turn we need to bet most cards. Maybe not broadway non-spades in case he's got a pair/straight draw hand. But betting non-spades might get rid of single pair or c-betting on the flop (middle pairs) type hands that are ahead of us and betting spades is necessary to build a pot.

Maybe I'm completely wrong, and maybe this is why I don't play suited connectors OOP.

We called preflop. This makes it difficult to rep a range of hands which includes any set (10s,Ks,As), top two (AKs) and even top and bottom (AT). This leaves hands like Ax, KT (bottom two), QJ (nut straight), flush draws, pair+flush/straight draws, and air. If we check raise the flop, Villian should lean towards putting us on flush/straight/+pair draws or air, as we might expect to wait till the turn to check raise with the nut straight. In this respect, a check raise on the flop turns our hand face up. While we likely still fold out the weaker part of his wide range, alot of the hands that beat us will raise/call, making a semi-bluff check raise on the flop less desirable imo. A check raise on the flop just seems to me to be very exploitble. We risk getting blown off our draw or building a pot OOP on a dangerous board where villian can use position to rep just about everything as well as control the pot size when it favors him.

I would probably flat call the flop with the intention of check raising most turn cards. I like this play more for alot of reasons. 1) We give Villain a chance to double barrell his wide preflop/c-bet range on the turn, making the pot bigger when we steal it with our semi-bluff. 2) We rep a stronger range ourselves, meaning our villian will lean towards calling more often with the stronger parts of his range,rather then raising us off our draw. 3) We could fold out alot of one pair type hands that have us beat.4) Even if villian checks back the turn for pot control on hands he wants to get to showdown or gives up on, we get a free card to our draw and leave ourselves open to bluffing/value-betting the river.

I can't fold here but I have two problems with calling:

1) villain can have an ace or a king - in which case he's ahead. On the other hand, villain could have missed the flop entirely - have a pair (33-JJ) or two broadway cards QJ/JT - in which case he's still ahead.
2) calling with two spades on the board suggests you are on a flush draw. If a spade comes on the turn, he's likely to stop betting - unless he has a higher spade in his hand.

Therefore, your check-raise, say 200, suggesting that you love the flop but don't want to see the turn or river because you lack spades! He probably folds his smaller pairs and calls/raises with an ace or king in his hand.

If he raises, fold. If villain only calls, you check the turn regardless of whether it's a spade or not. You imply that you have an ace or king but are concerned since he's come along that he might have the better kicker.

If you got a spade on the turn, you call any bet - except a shove - because Villain might have made a higher flush.

Fold

unfortunately this flop requires you to play your hand face up.

What are you check raising with on that flop that you are not 3-betting pre. - V should realise its either bluff or flush draw

check call to the river and if no spade, check fold. or if spade hits then bet.

Looks incredibly soft and weak, but from all the info provided, imo its the best play.

Dont have to ram, jam, full noise every hand...

I have to disagree that hero's flat pre-flop helps define his hand as the comments suggest. Villain's range from the CO is wide and obviously so. When the pre-flop betting gets to the hero, hero knows this is going to be a heads-up hand. So, if hero is holding say, AA, does he really want to 3 bet and possibly fold out the weaker part of villain's range? I can easily see hero calling pre-flop with hands like AA, KK, AK, checking the flop and almost certainly getting a c-bet.

We can most certainly rule out check-calling; there's no value to be had from that as you're either telegraphing a flush draw or your opponent has garbage and will see your play for a slow-play and not put any more money into the pot thereafter. I don't understand the jargon from the converter tool and therefore don't know a thing about the cutoff guy's play to this point, so I'll just say that I whether or not I lead out for half the pot would be a judgement call based mainly on how likely I think it is that I'll get raised regardless of what he's holding. Medium or small pairs certainly can't be ruled out for the cutoff guy, nor can suited connectors like those I'm playing that likewise missed the board; if he has any of that he's either folding to my half-pot bet or, for whatever reason (be it a good read on me, a significantly bigger hand, or a significantly bigger set of balls [hence the need to make the aforementioned judgement call]) raising.

Frankly, the aforementioned judgement call and other factors all play into whether or not I even want to play a heads-up pot in this situation in the first place.

I don't agree that check-calling is playing your hand face up on a board this strong from 2 tight-aggressive (TAG?) players. Both players would have to assume that they are sharing cards and it will just be a cat-mouse game going into the Turn. Which is why I would bet out any strt or spade on Turn and check-call or check/raise blank Turn cards. This is a great spot for some aggression ... we either take down a pot without showing or our image takes a hit if we have to show the weak flush draw (whether it hits or not)!!