Flopping a Small or medium flush
Image Flopping a medium-small flush?  start raising .. This has a triple benefit:
 (1) it gains you money from people with no or few outs,
 (2) it gains you money from people who are drawing
 (3) it can push dangerous hands out of the pot. On this third point, many may wonder how this tactic will really push dangerous hands out of the pot.
 
We all know full well that a person with an ace of hearts in the hole will call bets and raises on the flop because he has the nut draw. I don't disagree. But sometimes, there is no ace or queen of hearts in anyone's hole cards. However, one player may have the jack of hearts. Now this is your real danger in this pot. If you were holding the jack of hearts on this flop and there was a bet and raise in front of you, it would be very difficult expect that your flush will be good if it hits. Therefore, many opponents (even fairly loose opponents) will be much more inclined to fold.
 
This is exactly what I want to happen when I become aggressive on this kind of flop. I know I'm not going to get top two flush draws out of the pot. But due to the fact that I am not always up against opponents holding either of these two cards, I want to put pressure on the remaining hand(s) that could beat me. I recall several pots where I have flopped a small flush with 5-6 suited (or something like that) and become very aggressive on the pot. A couple of opponents fold behind me and when a fourth heart comes on the river and I showdown my hand, it still wins. The opponent who called me on the flop and turn had a strong hand, but no hearts at all. An opponent who folded on the flop slaps the table and says "I threw away the Jh/10h/9h...etc" But because I raised on the flop, they think that either me or the original bettor has an ace high flush draw. Since, most players are smart enough to fold when they think that they are drawing dead, playing aggressively on the flop in this situation can prove beneficial. Occasionally, they will even throw away a queen high flush draw in this situation. But it depends on how tight they are.
 
What should you do if you are reraised by the original bettor? You may begin to think that he/she may have the bigger flush. Well here is my analysis and approach. If I flop a small or medium flush and an opponent bets, I'll raise straight away (as you now know). If this player then reraises me, I'll cap it with the intention of then checking and calling the whole way to the river. I find that a lot of the time, this player had AK or maybe a set and they are reraising you on the flop because they think you don't have a flush yet. As a result, they try to apply as much pressure as possible. On the other hand, you don't want to trap yourself here. Further, if they have an ace-high flush draw, they will not fold for a raise on the turn. Best to simply check and call the whole way.
 
By the way - one small note. If I cap on the flop and this player then checks to me on the turn, I am inclined to bet. However, you must keep in mind that, if this player has a nut flush, they may use this opportunity to attempt a check-raise. So if you are check-raised on the turn, you are in a very difficult spot and it is a little unlikely that they would checkraise you without a flush. Difficult to laydown and difficult to make two crying calls after being check-raised. Usually it comes down to the type of opponent.
 
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