Backdoor Flush Draw: what are these draws in poker?

Precisely because it is a term associated with the dynamics of the game and not a particular movement or an action reflected in the interface of the user's own screen, it is a somewhat ambiguous concept whose meaning is not always clear, especially among recreational players and newcomers to poker.

In reality, the concept of the backdoor flush draw has to do with poker draws and the way you play the cards you have to defend your draw in the round.

Backdoor Flush Draw: definition and characteristics

A backdoor flush draw is nothing more than a two-card draw. It is closely related to the concept of bluff and also to the well-known runner-runner draws. Its literal translation would be "backdoor draw" or "runner draw" and it is a kind of play that has certain peculiarities that it is advisable to know.

These draws require two cards to be executed. If we start from the flop, we need the turn card and the river card to be able to carry it out. That is to say, it is a transversal draw that is not compatible with a fold. Therefore, it is usually done with average cards. Why? Because with a bad hand it is rare to reach the river; on the other hand, because with a premium hand it would not be necessary to resort to a backdoor flush draw.

These draws can also be done with cards with which we apparently have nothing. It is important to be familiar with the concept of backdoor flush draw in order not to fold with cards that can give you the opportunity to stay alive until the river and try to bluff if the circumstances are right to try to raise the pot.

This must not be confused with the backdoor straight draw, which at first may seem somewhat strange and even not very credible, since often the selection of cards with which they are made are too random and would not pass in the eyes of a novice of a high card and a fold.

The type of player has a lot of weight when it comes to making these draws a reality. Aggressive players may even execute it on the turn or even on the flop, with only a community card. The more conservative players will wait until the river to know the five community cards and choose the strategy that best suits their hand.

What is the strategy with these draws?

A backdoor flush draw requires two consecutive cards of the same suit. With a suited hand they are quite frequent, and taking into account that on the flop we only need one card of our suit to be able to do it, it is not difficult to be in a position to execute it.

The way in which backdoor flushes and backdoor straights are played is similar, although the equity is somewhat higher in the former. But there is a problem: they can hardly be hidden. However, with a powerful card such as the ace, you can opt for the nuts, which makes it worthwhile to carry it out.

One of the main attractions of these draws is that they open up a wide range of strategies, so it is necessary to pay attention to a number of aspects that, although not excessively complicated, do have their importance in these backdoor plays.

• Floating. This is a technique that goes really well with backdoor draws. Backdoor hands are ideal to pay for flopduring the flop. If it happens that the turn has made things difficult for our opponent and if we have opened a draw, we are presented with a fantastic opportunity to betear and take the pot.
• The nuts backdoor. A flush or straight backdoor, if it has the possibility of hitting the nut (the best hand), will have a higher value. This means that if the opponent's draw is not too good, we have more options to win the money bet by the opponent.
• Implied odds. Be careful with this move, because it can make us look like fools if the others do not read the game well. Looking for a two-card draw is something that would make more than one person laugh and, although it is too much of a joke, it can actually have a mathematical basis. Sometimes, implied probabilities can be the livelihood that make paying backdoor feasible. Take advantage of the bewilderment and go for it.
• Ladder backdoors are the kings of hiding. Earlier we said that the handicap of flush draw backdoors is that they hide worse than straight ones. But ladder backdoors hide better than any other, something that will undoubtedly benefit us.
• A support for c-bets. Yes, making a c-bet with a backdoor draw is logical. Playing OOP, you can start to put pressure from the flop. If we detect that an opponent has a range of hands that is not going to give him the strength he needs to bet on the turn, we can take advantage of it thanks to the free card that we will have on the river, which would allow us to complete our backdoor.
• It is a tilt generator. For some, backdoor draws are so disconcerting that they can break the defenses of those who are on the verge of falling into tilt. They are also powerful badbeats inducers, being a good attack strategy if you are looking to break the defenses of insurmountable villains.