If by “speculating” you mean calling just hoping to make a huge hand, that isn’t something you should ever do without a pocket pair. It’s simply too hard to make huge hands. When you make calls like this, it has to be against a player whose range is wide enough for you to sometimes win at showdown when you flop one pair and for you to be able to play aggressively when you flop a draw. Look at what happened here: you put money in from behind pre-flop for the privilege of putting in more from behind on the flop and turn, only to win maybe as much as 6000 (barely twice what it cost you to make the flush) when you’re lucky enough to river a flush. Note also that there is nothing concealed about your hand – everyone can see there are three diamonds on the board – and that you still aren’t too confident that you have the best hand. Like, I doubt you can profitably jam the river. So yes, fold pre-flop and take this as a cautionary tale against playing poker like it’s a slot machine, as Ed Miller would say.

Andrew… this makes sense. Thank you..question though. Admittedly, I am a touch confused now about playing suited connectors (and one gappers) in LP. Are you saying that I should never be calling in position with a suited/ connected hand in LP vs an EP rsiser (unless the EP rzrs range is very wide)??? Like… I thought that was the whole gig with suited connectors; was to get in and “speculate”- or am I to understand you as saying “yes its fine to call with 8Ts but only if you have showdown value if the TEN (or 8) hits vs this V…OR..if I am willing to play this aggressively on the flop with the flush draw”?