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Tournaments are very different from cash games. In a tournament, chasing a flush draw is risky because you only have X number of chips. In cash, you can rebuy so people tend to gamble more.
On monotone boards,
- when should you get to showdown cheaply? (play passively)
- when should you try to raise and take it down? (play aggressively)
- The answer to both of these questions highly depends on:
- how many players are in the pot?
- fewer players ~ aggressive
- do I have position or am I out of position?
- in position ~ aggressive
- out of position ~ aggressive
- does anyone “over-value their hand” too much?
- if YES, please make them pay to chase an inferior hand
- if NO, tread lightly
- does anyone “tend to fold” too often?
- If YES, keep giving them a way out by betting and raising
- If NO, this means that you’re getting called on the river. You need to have a made-hand. Tread lightly.
- what hands are valuable to see rivers on monotone flops?
- There is a lot of value in playing a flopped set until the river when the board is monotone. You beat all flush draws, all two-pairs, and you always have a decent number of outs to still beat a flopped flush when the board pairs up.
- There is a lot of value in holding the card for the nut-flush draw. It works as a blocker when you don’t have the flush because “you know and they don’t” who has the highest equity with the flush draw. The 2nd nut flush draw is drawing very thin and they likely don’t know it. It isn’t a terrible play to be aggressive with the nut-flush draw and to try to build the pot but most players make a mistake by slowing down on later streets if they don’t hit.
- There is some value in holding two-pair but play these carefully. There are a lot of bad turn and river cards that can kill your hands equity. For example, if the 4th heart hits, I won’t be calling to see a river with two-pair. I might be calling with a set because I have a few more outs to make the best hand.
