[tmpa2001]

Originally Posted by agalvan

I think you might have bumped me up to a +2 hammer. You'll be the first to get hit with it.

Buyacasha!
Respek!

[Diablo_Rojos]

Some other questions you should be asking yourself, especially about goof ballstraights, is who is in position to have a hand that will make a goofball straight.
Did they limp in? Some people will limp in connectors suited or otherwise just to see a flop. SB and BB will play garbage if they can get in for cheap. Beware of the limper.
Are they short stacked? With your back against the wall hitting that goof ball straight can double or triple you up very quickly.
What kind of cards have they been playing? Keep track of what cards your oppenents play.
59
68
73
62
T6
Grummy hole cards yes, but great for hiting that inside straight. Now who would call a nice preflop raise holding these?
Just think about this. Let's say you limped in with KK and the BB checked.
The board came 6 2 8. rainbow Seems innocent enough. If the BB had 59,79, or 7T he'd be on a nice inside straight draw. Could you put this guy on a 59 if he called a 4x raise from preflop? If he checked the BB he could have anything.

[wijwij]

Did a little more thinking on this.

If the flop contains a pair, then you have to worry about trips, full houses, etc.
Straights are less likely, but still the board may develop to enable them.

If the flop does NOT contain a pair, then only these flops do not have any possible 1-card draw for a straight on the turn:

K83
K82
K72
Q72

Those are really the only "safe" flops. Every other nonpaired flop has built into it at least one possible 1-card draw.

And even with those four flops above, if the turn is another distinct card, then there will always be a possible 1-card draw for a straight on the river.

So it looks like the advice to look at the board carefully and determine what straights or straight draws it enables is sound.

[800over]

All of the above has been great advice. The only thing I can caution you on is being too afraid of the straight. You can't play in constant fear of the nut straight...or any other hand for that matter. Keep in mind that after 5 cards there will almost always be some kind of crazy straight draw. If you are betting your hands appropriately to make people pay for drawing to the straight then you've done all you can. I just wouldn't want you to be folding every time a scare card hits. Sometimes you are going to get caught (and i cringe at the cliche) "but that's poker".

[jamby]

Good point and thanks for mentioning it. I ask not for reasons based on playing too conservatively, but rather to play smarter and pay more attention to board possibilities.

Hope that make sense.

Originally Posted by 800over

...caution you on is being too afraid of the straight. You can't play in constant fear of the nut straight...or any other hand for that matter....almost always be some kind of crazy straight draw.