Druff - Is it ever appropriate to "chase" a hand in Limit poker? Your previous comments on the +EV shows seem to imply that you shouldn't, and that it is not done at higher limit games.

I have played mostly $2-$4 or $3-$6 Limit HE cash when I hit the local indian casino, and I know you've mentioned that alot of us donks at these low level games like to chase, but I find that I get the some of my best pots when I decide to play suited cards and chase the flushes or straights to the river. When I have AA or KK and I raise pre-flop, everyone bails and you get very little action from a full table. Chasing at least lets me hide what I have and raise pre-river, or pre-showdown, which usually gets called. I can dump it quick if the flop doesn't produce anything to stay for.

Yesterday, my suited 2H-5H hit a heart flush on the river and beat a guy with top two pair. He bitched loudly that I called him down with 2H-5H, but the flop gave me four to the flush (and him his two pair), and he did not raise anyone out of the hand till after the river card and he called when I re-popped him back. Was I that wrong to stay in the hand & chase? He was the one who let me get home pretty cheaply.

Also, I find it hard to believe that higher limit players don't ever chase down hands, especially when they are one card to a straight flush, or they have two pair, or four to the flush early in the hand. Why wouldn't you stay in the game and wait out the next cards to come?

Looking forward to your comments - Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

Dr Nambu

I think you're supposed to chase everytime you have the pot odds, so strong draws, you're supposed to. People do it all the time in NL depending on the price, but because it's limit, it's pretty automatic.

He'd probably make a distinction between "chasing" and "drawing." (the former being drawing when you DON'T have the proper pot (and implied) odds to do so).