How do you usually play it? Fold if someone shows agression? try to hang around to see if board pairs? Put a feeler bet out there?

Seriously, you need to be less vague. This is so unspecific, I don't know how you could possibly expect a decent answer.

I'm going to try and post a real vague answer to a really vague question. A lot of this depends on how deep my stack is, the number of people in the pot, NL vs. Limit, and the kind of player I'm in the pot with if its a HU pot.

If I have a deep stack, I will make my standard continuation bet if I was the original raiser, and I will adjust my play according to the type of action I get. If I think someone is drawing, and the draw missed the turn, I'm putting in a huge bet to push them off the hand unless the board pairs and I make a boat. Then I'm making a bet that I think my opponent will call in hopes that he does make his flush.

If its a multi way (i.e. I limped in with 3's and the board came 10-3-2 all hearts). I will make a bet if I'm deepstacked, but will be extra cautious since more players means a better likelihood of someone flopping the flush.

If the average M is real low, I will make a smaller feeler bet to try and find out where I'm at. If the average M is still like 15 or so and I'm short stacked, I'm likely making a 2/3 pot bet, and still putting all my chips in if I get raised.

Like I said, these are some general situations. Sometimes, you just have to get all the money in the pot in some of these situations. This is unfortunately where sometimes you need to be lucky (either suck out or have your hand fold), and your skill has not as much to do with your outcome.

It was meant to be a very general question as I really was unsure of any strategy in this situation, but it seems to happen a lot. Thanks for the great answer!

It is a very general question with no real cut answer. I just wanted to try and offer a few pieces of advice based on what I've learned through playing. There are just so many different variables in this situation, so it would be near impossible to come up with all the answers.

Alpha

Alpha,

this answers makes me feel so much better about your potential to contribute here. See how much smarter you are when results aren't posted?

last night at my weekly home game the new kid I've been helping a little was in a hand with 55 flop 952 all spades. UTG bets 1/4 pot, he looks at me, shows cards and fold. By the river he sees he would have lost, but because of runner 9 2 and OR had A9. Very hard to explain why he should have called the small bet to let board pair, and or push if non spade falls and raiser checks.

He kept saying, yea, but I would have lost.

I have my work cut out for me.

Later that night he folded a set again when there were 3 of the same suit on flop. This time he would have won.

Luckily he and I ended up heads us for last tournament of night. Took about 30 hands to win that one.

Did you say a set or trips? You can't have trips on a flop of all the same suit. But you can have a set.

Note: unless I have an over pocket pair, I fold to aggression on a paired flop if I don't have the trips.

Last week, I twice flopped a set of aces on a flushed board UTG. Both times, I bet the pot. Reasons:
1) you're protecting your hand against flush draws; it prices them out if they haven't made it on the flop.
2) if no one has a strong flush, they're folding to the action
3) if someone does have the flush ... good. I hope it's the nut flush and the board pairs.
4) because I had aces in particular, I had properly raised preflop. The only hands calling me were pocket pairs or big aces. If they hit their set, they were essentially dead. And if they were playing a big ace, since there was an ace on the board, they weren't in a flush hand and they were also drawing essentially dead.

Do you all realize how powerful a hand a set is when played right? I'm beginning to wonder.

By the way, if you're into results-oriented thinking, I won both.