Chasing the flush has a bad name in poker. You can expect to be branded a fish if you are found to be chasing a flush. But are there any situations where it is strategically correct to chase?

Pot odds, pot odds, pot odds. Is chasing a flush really only about getting the right pot odds?

Amateur players often play with an ‘all or nothing’ mentality. Chasing flushes and straights, trying to hit sets with pocket pairs, these sorts of plays will either win big or will leave the player sat with Q high. How then, should one play against the constant barrage of online players who think a flush draw is the nuts?

The answer to this question is a difficult one. On the one hand it is lucrative to play against this type of player. More often than not you will get paid off by a player who misses his frantic flush draw.

Ideally you don’t want players chasing flushes on the flop against you. The best way to combat this is to play hard pre-flop

On the other hand there are so many online players now who will sit there and call down any bet with a flush draw that simply to price a player out of a hand does not always cut the mustard these days.

Controlling the size of the pot is perhaps the best way to tackle this problem. By limiting the size of the pot it is true that you will not make as much money if your opponent misses his flush, but you will also limit your losses when he hits the flush on the river.

This strategy only needs to be used at lower level online games where it almost feels impossible to push a player off a drawing hand.

Ideally you don’t want players chasing flushes on the flop against you. The best way to combat this is to play hard pre-flop, especially if you are in early position. If you can push those suited connectors off the flop before they won’t be a danger.