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20 RULES FOR
PLAYING
FLUSH DRAWS
IN 2018
 You are about to read
some of the secrets
Ryan Fee and I
(Doug Polk) have
used to separate us
from your average
poker player.
RYAN FEE DOUG POLK

We, like many players, used to aimlessly bet the flop

every time we had a flush draw without much of a plan
for the turn and river and with little consideration
for the impact it had on the rest of our range.
(Sound familiar…?)
After spending years refining and optimizing our games
we have deduced a methodology to playing flush draws
that is balanced, sneaky, and let’s us fight for pots
where other players aren’t even looking.

By following these rules you will

make more money in two ways:

1 More often, you will make better hands fold when bluffing,
worse hands call when value betting, and put in the minimum
when we are behind.
2 Most players are still behind the curve and play most of,
if not all of their flush draws the same on the flop.
You will make chips by having bluffs and value bets in spots

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your opponents do not expect and are not prepared for.

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 RULE # 1
Ask yourself
“If my hand wasn’t a flush draw, how would I play it?”
Chances are you should play the flush draw the same way.

Example:
j t 2
If you T 9
on
X
would
normally
check
t 9

you should also check XX

RULE # 2
Check the nut flush draw most of the time, except in instances
where it is a very strong hand and you are borderline value-betting.

Example:
q j 3
Almost A 7

XX
on
always
check

A K

XX
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but consider betting

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 RULE # 3
Middle Pair with a Flush Draw is almost always
a hand to check and/or call the flop with.

Example:
7 j 7 3
8

XX
on

RULE # 4
Flush Draws that also have Straight Draws and/or Overcards
can be played as flop check/raises.
This play denies your opponent’s ability to
relentlessly bet when checked to.

Example:
8 7 6 2
9

XX
on

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 RULE # 5
It can be correct to bet top pair with a medium kicker and a flush draw even
though it’s a hand we’d often check without a flush draw.
Betting the flop allows us get three streets of value when we improve to a flush.

Example:
would be a A t 9
A 8
reasonable hand
X to check on

A 8

but XX could be a good

hand to bet.

RULE # 6
It’s usually best to check/call when
Out of Position with the nut flush draw.

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 RULE # 7
On the flop, if we raise a flush draw we want it to be one of two things:
• A big draw (flush draw + straight draw and/or overcards)
• A very weak draw that will have trouble on the turn after a flop call

Example:

8 t 7 2 4
9 6

XX XX
on or

RULE # 8
The second half of the advice from RULE #7 can also be applied to the turn.
If we decide to use a flush draw as a turn check/raise,
we will pick the weakest one(s).

Example:
6 4 t 9 5 j

XX
on

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 RULE # 9
Let’s say we call a raise preflop in the Big Blind.

K 6 4 3
The and it checks The
flop is through. turn is

Here is how we should play our flush draw hands:

BET CHECK /RAISE CHECK/CALL
AA AKs AQs AJs ATs A9s A8s A7s A6s A5s A4s A3s A2s

AKo KK KQs KJs KTs K9s K8s K7s K6s K5s K4s K3s K2s

AQo KQo QQ Q Js QTs Q9s Q8s Q7s Q6s Q5s Q4s Q3s Q2s

AJo K Jo Q Jo JJ J Ts J9s J8s J7s J6s J5s J4s J3s J2s

ATo KTo QTo JTo TT T9s T8s T7s T6s T5s T4s T3s T2s

A9o K9o Q9o J9o T9o 99 98s 97s 96s 95s 94s 93s 92s

A8o K8o Q8o J8o T8o 96o 88 87s 86s 85s 84s 83s 82s

A7o K7o Q7o J7o T7o 97o 87o 77 76s 75s 74s 73s 72s

A6o K6o Q6o J6o T6o 96o 86o 76o 66 65s 64s 63s 62s

A5o K5o Q5o J5o T5o 95o 85o 75o 65o 55 54s 53s 52s

A4o K4o Q4o J4o T4o 94o 84o 74o 64o 54o 44 43s 42s

A3o K3o Q3o J3o T3o 93o 83o 73o 63o 53o 43o 33 32s

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A2o K20 Q2o J2o T2o 92o 82o 72o 62o 52o 42o 32o 22

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 RULE # 10
When Out of Position against a flop check back, we (generally) want to:
• Probe the turn with our weakest flush draws
• Check/call flush draws with a bit of showdown value
• Check/raise flush draws in the middle.

Keep in mind not all situations will have a flush draw in each range.

RULE # 11
When In Position, you should consider calling most of the flush draws
in your range to maximize the advantage of position.
Calling forces your opponents to provide the maximum amount
of information about their hand while concealing yours.
If they check turn, you should bet your weakest 50% of flush draws.
Check back the turn with your higher flush draws
and turn them into a bluff on the river if you miss.

Example:
The board is Your opponent
checks to you on the
t 3 2 7 turn after raising
preflop and
c-betting the flop.

6 5 K 9 and bluff

XX XX
Bet Check
hands hands with them
like like on the brick
rivers.

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 RULE # 12
Just because you don’t have the correct pot odds to call doesn’t mean you should fold.

Example:
A A 6 5

XX XX
Let’s say your and
opponent has you hold

MP3 73.86% MP2 26.14%

EQUITY EQUITY
The board reads:
t 3 2 7 and your opponent bets full pot,
$100 bet into a $100 pot on the turn.
You would need 33% equity to call here.

We can see that MP2 doesn’t have the 33% equity needed.
This would be a fold if there was no betting on the river.
But because there is still river action to come, we have implied odds
in addition to our pot odds. It is clear what cards make our hand
and we are unlikely to be beat when we improve.
We are also likely to extract value when we improve.

Let’s say that when we improve to a flush or a straight we get a $200 bet in 75%
of the time. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume we are always good when
that bet goes in. That adds an additional $150 in value to our call and makes the
“implied turn odds” to call 22%.

OPPONENTS BET $100

(OPPONENT’S BET POT + + ($100 $100 ++ = 22%
IMPLIED BET ON FUTURE STREETS) + $100 $150)
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 RULE # 13
When Out of Position in 3-bet pots on the flop, check/raising lower combo
draws can be an effective way to discourage opponents from betting when
checked to. You can also call and check/raise all-in on the turn.

Example:
6 j 8 5
7

XX
on

RULE # 14
When you have the nut flush draw in a 3-bet pot, check back the flop
unless it is a really big draw. If it is a really big draw, consider a flop C-bet.

Example:
A 5 j t 2

XX
Don’t bet on

A K

XX
Consider betting on that same board.

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 RULE # 15
Four quick tips for 3-bet pots as the preflop raiser:
1 Mostly check when you have the nut flush draw
2 Sometimes check/raise low boards with big flush draws or combo draws
3 Pair and flush draw are mostly check/call type hands
4 Low flush draws are great to C-bet and barrel with

RULE # 16
Three quick tips for flush draws on monotone boards:

1 Employ a mixed Example: A 9 4

strategy of both bet On a flop of
and check with the
top 3 flush draws.
K q j
2 Mostly check the • Both bet
4th through 7th and check
flush draws. , ,
3 Mostly bet the worst • Mostly t 8 7 6
3 flush draws. check
, , ,
5 3 2
• Mostly bet
, ,

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 RULE # 17
If you were the preflop opener and you have [AX] + backdoor flush draw,
for the most part, you should almost always check.

Example:
A t j 6 2

XX
on

RULE # 18
Use flush blockers to determine whether or not to barrel off after c-betting the flop.

Example: t 8 3
Flop is

j 7 J 7
Both and
X X

are great hands to bluff with on the flop, but the more effective
hand to barrel off will depend on the runout.
When the flush completes on the turn, continue to barrel the [Js 7c],
but give it up when the flush misses.

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Conversely, when you have [Jd 7d] you will barrel when the flush draw
misses and give up when it hits.

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 RULE # 19
On dry boards, you will often times face small bets or bets from players who
are betting many weak hands. You may feel the need to call with weak hands of
your own to defend your range. In these instances, select hands with backdoor
flush draws that wrap around the “pivot” card.

Example:
Q T j 3 2
on
X

RULE # 20
In 3-bet pots, use the Ace flush blocker as a flop c-bet and barrell off
when the flush gets in.

Example:
A q
on 9 6 2
X

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 YOU ARE NOW ARMED WITH
20 NEW FLUSH DRAW RULES
TO PLAY WITH!
Are you looking to really improve your game in all of
the many situations that come up?
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