Backdoor draws play a significant role in the range construction process.
If you don’t regularly consider backdoor draws when making decisions at the table, this short list of tips is for you.
As you’re about to learn, backdoor draws aren’t valuable just because of their additional equity to hit a strong hand. Backdoor draws are also valuable because you will, on average, reach the river more often when you have one, which gives you more playability and allows you to realize more equity.
Before we cover tips for playing backdoor draws, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page.
The term backdoor refers to a hand requiring consecutive cards on the turn and river to become a strong made hand. Also known as “runner-runner”.
Example: If you’re holding K♥ J♥ on a flop of A♣ 7♥ 2♠, you have a backdoor flush draw because two consecutive hearts on the turn and river would give you a flush. You also have a backdoor straight draw, as you could hit two consecutive cards (a queen and a ten) to make a straight.
If you have an unpaired hand with a backdoor flush draw, you should heavily consider betting (if you have the betting initiative). This is especially true when you have position over your opponent.
Betting with these backdoor flush draws is profitable because you can use them as bluffs on the turn in a couple of situations:
Note: Do not play another hand without this $7 Postflop Playbook! With such a low price tag, Doug Polk’s Postflop Playbook is a no-brainer buy if you want to nail down your fundamentals and build a bigger bankroll. Level-up your poker skills now!
Suppose you open from the button and bet on the flop with 86 on T♠ 7♠ 3♦ heads up versus the big blind. Now suppose the big blind puts in a decent-sized check-raise.
In this situation, the best play with a naked gutshot (like 8♥ 6♥) is likely to fold. But if you had a backdoor flush draw to go with your gutshot (like 8♦ 6♦), you should probably call.
There are two reasons these backdoor flush draw hands are more valuable:
These reasons will not always be enough to change the correct decision, but they can tip the scales in close spots. And yes, decisions in poker are often times that close.
You typically want to use stronger draws such as open-enders, flush draws, and straight draws when going for check-raise bluffs (because those hands perform better in big pots). However, on some boards there just aren’t enough of those strong draws to build an adequate bluffing range.
This is where double backdoor hands come in handy.
Double backdoor hands have awesome playability on the turn and can improve to very disguised hands on the river, allowing you to win substantial pots. Plus, you won’t be surrendering much equity if you are forced to fold after your check-raise is met by a 3-bet.
Here are some examples:
Depending on the specifics of the situation, these hands are all great check-raise bluff candidates.
Note: Avoid trying these check-raises on boards that are disadvantageous for your range, such as A-K-Q. Read this article to learn more boards on which you should avoid check-raising.
When playing in the big blind against the small blind in a heads-up single raised pot, you will need to defend the majority of your range against a c-bet.
Unless you start calling with these non-made, backdoor plus overcard of hands, you will not reach the desired defense frequency and your opponent’s bluffs (of which he has a lot because the ranges are wide) will be basically printing money. An example is Q♥ 4♥ on T♣ 9♥ 2♠.
You don’t need to hit your overcard or backdoor draw to win. You will see that you will frequently be able to steal the pot on the turn or river, or even win at showdown when the action checks down.
Learn more about floating here.
Backdoor draws are cool and all, but be careful not to go overboard with them.
Just because backdoor hands have some cool properties doesn’t mean that you should mindlessly start calling and raising every time you have one.
For example, building off of the previous tips, say you defend the big blind with 9♣ 5♣ against a small blind open. The flop comes K♦ T♣ 6♦ and your opponent bets 66% of the pot. Despite having multiple backdoor draws, this is not a hand with which to call.
The reasons may be intuitive to you, but it may help to see them listed out:
On the other hand, stronger double backdoor hands — ones with an overcard to middle pair, like Q♣ 8♣ — are reasonable hands with which to call in the K♦ T♣ 6♦ example above.
If you take these tips to heart you will find the correct spots to squeeze out that little bit of extra profit out of your backdoor flush and straight draws:
Note: Do not play another hand without this $7 Postflop Playbook! With such a low price tag, Doug Polk’s Postflop Playbook is a no-brainer buy if you want to nail down your fundamentals and build a bigger bankroll. Level-up your poker skills now!
That’s all for this one! If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know in the comment section below and I’ll do my best to answer.
To test your skills, check out “3 Tips for Winning with Gutshot Straight Draws“.
Good luck at the tables!
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