I Rivered the Nut Flush But How Much Should I Raise? - Hand Reading Practice

SmartPokerStudy
21 Jul 2025
Intermediate
This material is for medium-skilled players
Hand Review

Sky from Smart Poker Study breaks down a student's hand from America's Card Room 10NL where hero holds AJ offsuit and flops a nut flush draw. The video focuses on hand reading against a fishy opponent who donk bets small on flop and turn, leading to river nut flush decision making.

Small bets don't narrow opponent ranges much. When getting right price on draws, calling is profitable. Size value bets to get called by weaker hands.

Hand Reading Fundamentals:

  • Fishy small blind limper calls 3BB iso-raise with wide 32% range including suited connectors and weak aces
  • Quarter-pot donk bet on 672 with two spades keeps villain's entire range in play due to small sizing
  • Turn deuce brings second barrel for 2.2BB - removes only strongest hands (quads, boats, flushes) from range
  • Nut flush river decision: 8.8BB raise targets weak pairs and bad two-pairs for value extraction
  • Opponent shows 33 for three-high flush, confirming fish will call light with any made hand
  • Small bet sizing fails to narrow ranges effectively - key lesson for both hero and villain play
  • Proper equity calculations show profitable draws even against wide ranges when getting correct pot odds
About the Author
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SmartPokerStudy Poker Training Brand

SmartPokerStudy is run by Sky Matsuhashi, a coach who shares clear poker study tips through his podcast and site. He gives simple strategies and action steps for cash games, sit-and-gos, and MTTs, helping players improve each week with targeted, easy–to–use guidance.

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