Perhaps surprisingly, there is not a lot to say here. If you have taken on board everything I have said about play on the flop, then you shouldn’t be in with a marginal hand. If you were betting with top pair, did not get raised and fourth street looks favourable, go ahead and bet again.
Be more worried about flush cards than overcards. For example, if you had A-10, the flop was 10H, 6S, 3S, you bet and were then called by one opponent, you would feel reasonably comfortable with top pair and top kicker. If fourth street brings a KD you need not be too worried about this overcard, as the only hand you would have to fear your opponent holding is K-10, which is not too likely. You might be more inclined to fear an overpair such as J-J. Nevertheless, if you are checked to, you should consider betting as your opponent is showing weakness by the check.
If, however, fourth street brings a spade then you have to be extremely careful as a flush is a likely holding for your opponent. If your opponent checks, be cautious and check yourself – he might be slow-playing the flush. If you are first to act then again take the cautious approach and check. Your opponent must also be fearful of a flush if he does not hold one himself. So give him some credit if he bets because now all you can beat is a bluff. If he is a tricky player you might suspect a bluff, but it is going to cost you to find out. So in this type of situation it is often best just to give your hand up. Remember it is only good players who can be bluffed, so if your opponent does show down a bluff after you have passed the winner, just mark it down to experience. Believe me you will feel more of a fool if you call one or more bets and he shows you a flush. You’ll be asking yourself for the next half dozen hands why you called when you knew there was a flush out there.
Drawing Hands
If the position is reversed and it is you that has the drawing hand which has come good on fourth street, you have the choice of whether to bet out or to check and try to trap your opponent. In a tournament, if I was short stacked, I would probably bet as I wouldn’t want to risk being outdrawn. But in a cash game, particularly if I hit the nut flush, I would be inclined to check hoping to elicit a bluff or trap my opponent into thinking I do not have the flush. Straights are more vulnerable so I would be much less inclined to slow play a straight. It is appropriate here to give a word of caution about straights. If you have the ignorant end of the straight you need to exercise circumspection. For example, if you have 7D, 6S and the flop and fourth street bring 9D, 8S, 4C, 10C, you have the lowest possible straight (ignorant end). It is probably a winner but your opponent could have the Q-J. Much less likely is the J-7 as not too many players will be in with this sort of hand. In Hold ‘Em it is still OK to bet the bottom end of the straight, but it is a recipe for disaster in Omaha.
Fifth Street
If you get as far as fifth street (‘the river’), remember there is now much less cause to bet. You no longer need to bet to protect your hand as all of the cards are out. Most large bets on the river are therefore from big hands or are bluffs. Most players, for example, will not bet top pair top kicker on the river, because it is too likely to be beaten if called. A player who has been betting all of the way, but then checks on the river, probably has a medium-strength hand which he wants to show down for nothing. Nevertheless, I would not recommend a bluff here. If you have got nothing, just accept your fate as a bluff is too likely to be called.