When we talk of combo draws in no-limit hold’em, we’re generally talking about a combination of a pair and either straight or flush possibilities. A conventional combo draw is something as strong as, or stronger than, a pair plus a flush draw. Something shady like two overcards plus a gutshot would not be considered a combo draw, while a hand like Ah-Jh on a 9h-10h-8s board would be deemed a premium draw – the combination of straight and flush draws with overcards makes it a very powerful holding.
A combo draw is generally flopped but you can also turn a combo draw. Indeed, some of the biggest pots can be won with backdoor hands that are well disguised to all but the very best hand readers.
Playing a combo draw
So, how should you play a flopped combo draw? As ever, it depends on a number of situational factors. When you have the initiative (betting lead) in a hand, you want to be leading or check-raising out of position depending on stack sizes, your opponents’ tendencies and your image. Say you’re playing on a six-max table with effective stacks of 100BB. You open Ac-5c UTG+1 and a loose-passive player calls on the button. Your image is tight-aggressive but this probably doesn’t matter much given your opponent’s attitude to the game. On a flop of 4c-6c-Ad you would lead out most of the time, with very little fear of being raised and, if called, looking to build the pot so you can win more when the villain has A-x and you spike a 5/club/backdoor straight, as well as getting value from the numerous draws your opponent can have. If your opponent is loose-aggressive, you are better to check-raise this flop more often, because it is going to be harder to get value from worse, but by checking he will bluff a lot, something a passive player is unlikely to do.
When you are in position, you can check back more flops you connect with, to add some deception against thinking opponents and allow yourself free cards in big pots. For example, say you elect to three-bet a tight-aggressive player’s cutoff raise from the button with 4s-3s. On a flop of Js-7s-3d you will want to check back a fair amount of the time, as a bet will price you into calling a shove a lot of the time against a range that’s often beating you. Checking back with such a disguised holding that has some showdown value is fine. If your draw was stronger, say Qs-Js on Ks-Th-5s flop, you should be betting to get it in as you are rarely dominated by bigger draws and a lot of the equity in the hand lies in making an opponent fold hands such as Q-Q, J-J and A-T.
Read Part II