How to Play a Flush Draw Hand in Texas Hold'em Poker

I can write a book on Texas Hold'em. However, even though I have played professionally for 3 years, I can't write a better book than Doyle Brunson, who has one heck of a lot more experience and success that I will ever have. So I won't waste my time or yours. I can take some specific details and write a more detailed analysis than you will find in a general How To Win At Hold'em Poker type book. I know this may be of interest only to players who really like Poker and want to excel. My goal is to author three articles specific to drawing hands in Texas Hold'em poker:

1) How To Play A Flush Draw

2) How To Play A Straight Draw

3) How To Play A Full House Draw

These are the major drawing hands at an average Texas Hold'em poker circle table or tournament table. If this analysis is too detailed for your current level of play start at my more general articles on poker such as How Not To Play Texas Hold'em Poker, and my articles about reading players "tells".

This is part 1, which will analyze the correct way to play a flush draw hand at an average nine player Texas Hold'em poker table. It is much easier to play pocket pairs than drawing hands and I have previously written three articles which explain the tactical play and analysis involved with playing pocket aces, pocket nines and pocket deuces. The reason it is much easier to play pocket pairs is because players tend to get more emotionally involved with drawing hands than pocket pairs, which are easier to fold if the flop doesn't improve your hand. For example, if you have pocket 9's and K, A, 9 flop you have a set of nines which very likely will be the winner already and may yet improve even further. If you have king, queen of spades, and flop a 2, 7 of spades and a jack of hearts, you have improved to a flush draw. However, while three nines is a made hand (i.e. a hand that can win the game on its own) a four flush is helpless unless that 5th spade falls on the turn or the river. It is not yet a made hand. In fact it may be a hand made for your personal disaster.

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