Most players love to discuss hands when the value of their hand is not so clear. They love discussing middle pairs, or A-K when they miss the flop, or whether or not a bluff is justified in a hand. You don't hear too frequently players discussing hands when they have flopped the nuts (or close to it). The difficult decision of whether to play or fold is eliminated and the betting thereafter seems rather straightforward. However, it is important to make sure you maximize the value of your hand when you flop the nuts. The decision often details whether you should slowplay on the flop or not.

The following are ten hands taken from my book, Internet Texas Hold'em . Be sure to cover the answers and see if you agree with my recommended strategies.

1/ $20-$40. You hold 4 ♣ 4 ♦ in middle position. Two early players call and you call. The small blind calls and five players see the flop of 5 ♣ 5 ♦ 4 ♥ . The small blind bets and an early player calls. There is $140 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: I like raising in this situation for two reasons. First, some opponents expect you to slowplay trips to the turn, so your raise may give you good action if they put you on a weak pair or a draw. Second, if one of your opponents actually holds trips, you should get great action on both the flop and turn. Raise.

2/ $20-$40. You hold 5 ♥ 5 ♦ on the button. An early player and a middle player call. You call and the small blind calls. Five players see the flop of K ♦ K ♥ 5 ♠ . The middle player bets. There is $120 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: Only one player has entered the pot and there still are three players left to act. One of them might be slowplaying trip kings, and you will be able to surprise them later if they raise or come out betting the turn. Call.

3/ $15-$30. You hold Q ♦ J ♦ in the big blind. A middle player raises and the cutoff and small blind call. You call and four players see the flop of 8 ♦ 6 ♦ 4 ♦ . The small blind checks. There is $120 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: Slowplaying this hand is risky since your opponents may not bet this type of flop. Check-raising the flop also tends to give away your hand more than betting out with this type of flop. If you bet out, your opponents might suspect a pair or a flush draw and you could get some good action later on. Any player with an overpair or the A ♦ or K ♦ will most likely raise allowing you to reraise and charge them a lot to draw. Bet.

4/ $20-$40. You hold A ♣ 6 ♣ on the button. An early and middle player call and you call. The small blind calls and five players see the flop of J ♣ 9 ♣ 8 ♣ . The early player bets and the middle player folds. There is $120 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: You still have both blinds waiting to act and you do not want to drive them out of the pot. With this type of flop, your opponents could have pairs and straight draws, so wait until the turn to show your strength. If you are lucky, one of the blinds will raise on the flop. Call.

5/ $.50-$1. You are in the small blind with the Q ♥ J ♠ . Six players see the flop of T ♠ 9 ♣ 8 ♣ . There is $3 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: With so many opponents in the hand, there should be a lot of action with this flop. Players will have flush draws, straight draws, and possibly full house draws. There is no need to slowplay since you should get great action. By betting out, your opponents will also have a difficult time knowing whether you are on a draw, a pair, or a big hand. Bet out and reraise if given the opportunity. Bet.

6/ $1-$2. You hold Q ♥ J ♥ in the big blind. An early player raises, a middle player calls, and the small blind calls. You call and four players see the flop of K ♦ T ♣ 9 ♠ . You check. The early player bets and the middle player raises. There is $11 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: You should rarely slowplay a straight on the flop. Another queen or jack could be trouble for your hand. Even if it doesn't give an opponent a straight, the betting will usually dry up, so get in your raises on the flop. Reraise.

7/ $1-$2. You hold K Q ♦ in middle position. A middle player calls and you call. The button raises and the small blind calls. Four players see the flop of J ♥ T ♥ 9 ♦ . The small blind bets and the middle player folds. There is $10 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: Rarely slowplay a straight on the flop. If a K, Q, 8, or 7 comes on the turn, the betting action will usually dry up. Raise.

8/ $15-$30. You hold Q ♦ J ♦ in the small blind. The button raises and you just call (I would recommend reraising). Two players see the flop of A ♦ K ♠ T ♥ . There is $75 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: Give your opponent a chance to bet a weak hand since he will almost always bet out in this situation. If you check-raise and your opponent has a strong hand like two pair, your opponent might reraise the flop or wait to raise the turn, allowing you to reraise and win a very large pot. Check-raise.

9/ $20-$40. You hold K ♠ Q ♠ in the cutoff. A middle player calls and you raise. Two players see the flop of A ♦ J ♦ T ♣ . The middle player checks. There is $110 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: You raised preflop, so go ahead and bet. If you are lucky, your opponent may have flopped two pair and will give you good action. Many players will draw to a gut-shot draw if they have a pair, so be sure not to give them any free cards for drawing. Bet.

10/ $20-$40. You post in the cutoff and are dealt 8 ♥ 7 ♦ . A weak player one seat before you raises and you call. Two players see the flop of 6 ♦ 5 ♥ 4 ♦ . The middle player bets, you raise, and the middle player reraises. There is $210 in the pot. What do you do?

Answer: Capping in this situation does not give away your hand. Your opponent may not expect you to play such a strong hand so aggressively and might suspect that you are trying for a free card. If so, he still might bet out the turn giving you a chance to raise while also gaining the maximum bets on the flop. Reraise.

Matthew is the author of three books: Internet Texas Hold'em, Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities, and The Poker Mindset, coauthored by Ian Taylor. You can contact Matthew in the Forum at his website, www.InternetTexasHoldem.com .