But it was suited

MP limps with 19.80, the button limps with 4.30, the small blind waits a bit and then limps with 10.57 and I check in the big blind with 4c/As.

I always get nervous when someone waits that long and then flat-calls. Sometimes they have a drawing hand and are determining whether to play it…but often, they have a big hand and are trying to figure out how to get a big pot. I am not going to be overly happy if an Ace hits.

The flop is 4d/6d/Jd. The small blind leads right out for .30 and I am done with the hand. A/J, pocket Jacks, 6s, 4s…Queens or better…I believe any and all of these. My 4s with nice kicker draw thin against his range and with 3 more players to act…easy fold.

MP calls, the other two fold.

Turn is the 9s and sb raises .50 and gets a call. With a big flop like that and this play, no re-raise, I think someone might have the flush, all those sets are also possible, and maybe a lower flush or even something goofy like a straight draw or Ad/J some other suit.

The river is the 9d. The small blind leads out for a buck. MP hesitates, the raises all in, 3.40. It is now 2.40 to call to over 6 bucks…

Small Blind has been raising all the way and wanted to raise pre-flop…set? Which, of course, is now a full house? I would not be surprised by pocket Jacks, pocket aces, or a flopped flush.
The other guy called/called/re-raised. He HAS to have the flush, and the way it played…just one card to the flush. He has the Ace of diamonds…OR a full house?

I am not surprised when he shows the Ad/2h. He got in cheap, called on the nut flush draw, and went all in when he hit it. I had him pretty much nailed.

I am a bit surprised by the small blind; Jc/Kd, the second nut flush. He flopped top pair, good kicker, led out on every street and had a strong flush.

On the one hand, his hand is weaker than I thought…I put too much emphasis on his pre-flop hesitation. With 3 limpers, K/J off is a raising hand out of position only if you are stupendously good or a weak player.

On the other hand…he played it strong even in the face of what could easily have been a boat or flopped flush. I need to think about this hand from a few angles. At the moment, the only play I am ecstatic with is mine…I got out cheap.

MP opens to .35 with 9.90, the button requests time and then calls with 11.16, the big blind bumps it to .90 with 11.16, mp folds, the button requests time and then calls.

About now I think this clown is multi-tabling more tables than he can handle but has a hand worth playing…decent to good pockets or suited connectors the suited connector type hand. The big blind had a mp raise and caller and still re-raised…J/J+, A/K, A/Js+ is about his range I think.

The flop is Qh/6d/Ah. Now the big blind takes his time, then bets 1.00 into about 1.80, so slightly better than half the pot and gets a quick call. I would not be surprised by set over set, set vs. top two, or A/K type hands.

The turn is the Ad, again the blind takes his time, then bets a buck. He gets click-raised and quickly calls. One of them has to have the Ace, and I am leaning towards it being the button.
The river is the 8d, hitting exactly no likely hands. The bb checks, the button raises 3 bucks, the big blind check-raises all in and the button calls the last 4.26.

I would not be surprised to see both with an ace, quads fit here, so does a full house with A/Q, pocket Q, A/6…or maybe just trips.

The big blind shows pocket kings, the button As/10s.

I guess I should not be surprised by the bb hand as when the second Ace falls, he probably discounts the possibility of the button having an Ace. I am not overly surprised by the button hand, though it is a softer Ace than expected, but the “its suited” cry justifies it to many players.

Suited cards get way over-valued. I fold Ad/Jc from utg+1, mp click-raises with 4.64, the cut-off raises to .75 with 10.10, the button calls with 11.81, and the small blind raises to 9.90 all in. Aces, Kings, or big slick? MAYBE queens. And gets a call from the cut-off…same hands.

SM shows…Ac/10c. “But they were suited” and sees the cut-offs pocket queens flop a set and turn a boat. Who raises all in over a raise, re-raise and call with a suited Ace? What a huge risk (and loss, in this case) for a 1 in 15 chance.

I can honestly say… I would NEVER have put him on that hand. I thought the Queens were a loose call and would not have loved a call with Kings (though I would have done it).

UTG takes his time, then limps with 4.49 and, in the big blind, I check with 9s/4c and 6 even, not too happy to play a garbage hand out of position.

The flop is 6c/9c/5s. I consider raising, but decide to go for the check-raise instead. He raises .25, slightly over the pot and I decide instead to keep the pot small, just calling.

The turn is the 2c, changing nothing. He could have something like 7/8, 8/9 type draws. I check, he bets .75 and again I flat it. There is a flush on the board, he could have a good pair, 2 pair, or A/9. I am not too excited about top pair, no kicker.

The river is the 3s. Okay, I backed into the second highest straight on a board with vague flush possibilities. He has shown strength ever since the flop.

He bets 1.50. I figure he has top pair or better, maybe a medium flush, or something like 2 pair. I am not happy about it but I think I have to call here. I do with my straight and he shows… 10c/Kd. K/10 high. I take down a nice pot with about

I do wonder, though, if I am making a mistake by not playing more flush draws. As these hands show, people WILL pay a flush off if they do not believe it. That is an element I need to add in to my game.