Card Shark: Playing Flush Draws in Limit Texas Hold'em Poker

When playing Limit Texas Hold'em Poker, Flush draws are very strong draws to have when coming into the flop. Flush draws play easily and can result in winning. When a Flush is drawn on the flop in Limit Texas Hold'em Poker, the hand will use two or three cards of the same suit within the flop. The proper way to play the Flush draw depends upon the amount of same-suited cards in the flop.

As everyone knows, each suit contains 13 cards. The way to figure out the best odds of how many "outs" (the cards that can give you a winning hand) is by subtracting the number of cards in your hand and on the flop from 13. A player will always have 9 outs to complete a Flush when a Flush draw is displayed on the flop. This is approximately 2-to-1 (35%) against improving by the river. A potential Flush hand is stronger if additional combinations such as a pair or a straight are drawn on the river. Furthermore, the higher the cards, the stronger the hand. The higher cards are called "overcards," and they can make or break a hand. For example, if you hold the King and Queen of Spades, and the Jack of Spades, 10 of Spades and 2 of Hearts are flopped, you will have a straight Flush draw and two overcards. This leaves 21 cards that can create a winning hand. You will have about a 78% chance of hitting at least a pair on the turn and river combined. That is a 54% likelihood for a straight / Flush and a 28% likelihood for pairing one of your overcards. If you compare that hand to holding the 2 and 7 of Spades on a flop with the Ace and Queen of Spades and the 9 of Hearts, you most likely have only 9 outs (34%) that will win the pot for you.

Deciding whether or not to draw is a relatively easy task. When a player holds a Flush draw on a two-suited flop, the player is almost always prone to draw cards to complete the Flush. However, there are a few exceptions to consider:

• If no one has raised the pot, and the only cards you hold is a Flush draw may be a good time to semi-bluff. Raise the pot just a little and force some other people out. Whatever you do, don't check to the river.