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Online Poker - Lyve Games
The Blog showcases various Online Poker theories and strategies in order to learn the intricacies of the game.Explore cutting edge Poker Strategies from Beginner to Professional to ensure you always top the game.
How to play pocket Jacks in Texas Holdem?
We find pocket Jacks as our hole cards and want to inflate pot by playing aggressive pre-flop and win a big pot. How many times we have experienced the sweetness of our hole cards quickly turned sour by overplayed by an Ace, Kings or Queen on different streets. Even against an opponent who holds a smaller pocket pair gets that magical set on the flop. Undoubtedly pocket Jacks have great potential but can be extremely tricky, especially in multiway hands. There is no easy way to play a pair of Jacks because it depends on various factors such as table stacks, chip stacks, reading your opponents and blind structure. There is a 12% chance another player will be dealt with a higher pair. Approximately 40% of time pocket Jacks get busted, so you have about 60% chance of winning the pot.
Let's see equity of pocket Jacks on various tables:
10 Handed = 19%
9 Handed = 22%
8 Handed = 25%
7 Handed = 29%
6 Handed = 34%
5 Handed = 40%
4 Handed = 49%
3 Handed = 61%
2 Hand = 78%
How to play pocket Jacks in tournaments?
Let's assume you are short stacked, 15 big blinds or under. You get pocket Jacks and raise from the button. Everybody folds to you except big blind who three-bets. Now, pocket Jacks are too strong hand to fold, and you do not have any choice here but shove all-in. Pocket Jacks by poker standard are the fourth best hand, so if your opponent has AA, KK or QQ he will definitely call. In tournaments players generally three-bets with AK, AQ and even K10s, so if you put all your chips you have an advantage of fold equity.
In tournaments, pocket Jacks can be a very good hand, especially in the mid-level. Based on the position, stack size and your opponent's bet sizing, you can put all your chips on the table considering the fact that in tourneys players are generally loose and the main intention is always to steal the pot. You can observe players raise heavily with hands like QJ, J10s, A10 and other speculative hands. As blinds increases, pocket Jacks can be a very useful hand to overplay all speculative hands.
Cash Game Strategy with Pocket Jacks
Irrespective of your position, you definitely need to raise the hand pre-flop. Generally, it is good to raise 3-4x the big blind. In a tight table, a pre-flop raise will definitely help to eliminate all speculative hands. Many poker players prefer to all-in with pocket Jacks. While the logic seems perfectly all right, it fails to take into account some fundamental concepts. All-in with a pair of Jacks is perfect play when you are short-stacked. However, when you are deep enough and playing with extreme players, it is worth considering to put all your chips on the table.
Pre-flop play is the most important thing when you have pocket Jacks. If you get a large re-raise, it means your opponent has some big pocket pairs or at least AKs or AQ. A pair of Jacks is difficult to fold, so if your stack allows, it is better to look for the flop. Suppose you raise pre-flop with a pair of Jacks and you get a re-raise from the button. You call and the flop comes 7-10-6. You bet the flop and you get another re-raise. It is now quite certain that your opponent has a better pair. In another scenario suppose your opponent is a small blind and after the flop, he bets a moderate amount. Now, you need to consider that your opponent has re-raised your bet pre-flop. It always happens the players who raise with AKs or AQ 80% of time protect their hand with a moderate C-bet. In this case, you need to raise the bet to protect your pair. It also helps to get the information whether your opponent has pocket Queens or a better hand.
Post Flop with Overcards
Catching a flop with overcards is quite easy to get away with your pair of Jacks. Nevertheless, overcard(s) does not mean you are beaten with your fourth best hand in poker. If you are playing heads-up, it is certainly a good strategy to go with a pot size continuation bet. You may lose a good amount but the continuation bet will serve the purpose of getting the perfect information. More often there are only two things happen; either you will get a re-raise or pick up the pot right there.
Conclusion
A pair of Jacks is a strong hand and tough to fold pre-flop even if you get a heavy re-raise. For a beginner, this pair is often the more troublesome, so they prefer to all-in with short-stack. The euphoria of getting pocket Jacks is short-lived, so it is significant how you play you preflop.
