Part: Part Four - Pot Odds & Hand Analysis

Make the draw pay

Pre-flop
Blinds 100 / 200Pot 300 (1.5 BB)COA♣K♦● 20,000 (100 BB)YOUfolded to youSB● 20,000 (100 BB)posts 100 (0.5 BB)BB● 20,000 (100 BB)posts 200 (1 BB)D

It folds to you on the cutoff with A♣K♦. You raise and the big blind calls.

Folded to you with A♣K♦ on the cutoff. Best?

WhyA-K is among the strongest hands you can open; raising builds a pot with the best of it and picks up the blinds when everyone folds.
What happensYou raise to 500 and the big blind calls, taking you to a flop where you'll likely hold the best hand. Pot: 1,200 (6 BB).
Flop
Heads-upPot 1,200 (6 BB)A♥9♥4♣COA♣K♦● 20,000 (100 BB)YOUtop pair, top kicker (flush draw out there)BB● 20,000 (100 BB)Big blindchecksD

Flop: A♥ 9♥ 4♣ - you flop top pair, top kicker, but two hearts mean a flush draw is live. The big blind checks.

A flush draw is ~19% to hit the next card (~4-to-1). What sizing best denies it the right price?

WhyA one-card flush draw needs about 4-to-1 to call profitably. A quarter-pot bet hands it 5-to-1 - a price it's thrilled to take - while a two-thirds-pot bet offers only about 2.5-to-1, well short of what its ~19% deserves. Bet big enough and the draw overpays every time it continues.
What happensYou bet 900, about three-quarters pot, and the big blind calls - now paying too much to chase. Pot: 3,000 (15 BB).
Turn
Heads-upPot 3,000 (15 BB)A♥9♥4♣2♠COA♣K♦● 20,000 (100 BB)YOUtop pair, top kicker; the heart missedBB● 20,000 (100 BB)Big blindchecksD

Turn: 2♠ - the flush misses. He checks again.

The draw bricked; you still have top pair, top kicker. Best?

WhyYou still hold the best hand and a draw may still be along for the ride, so a second firm bet does double duty - it extracts value and keeps charging any remaining draw a losing price. Checking here would gift a heart its free river card.
What happensYou bet 2,000; he calls, the river bricks, and your top pair holds. You win because you never once let the draw in at a fair price.
Holding the best hand against a flush draw, you bet large enough that a ~19% draw was overpaying, then kept charging it until it missed. Protection is pot odds run in reverse - you set the price, and you set it wrong for them.

When you hold the best hand against a draw, size your bet so the draw is paying more than its equity is worth - charge it a price it cannot correctly call.