2 problems with JJ

both of these situations developed in a tournament.


1st: Blinds at 4-8. UTG (FISH and has about T80) raises to 20. Old Rock calls for the first time in the game (T50). Loose/aggressive (LA) lady to my immediate right calls (T120). On the button, I have JJ and about T65.

I can't call. I consider moving all-in, but am reasonably certain that I will get at least two callers (three if the Rock has QQ-AA or AK). Also, rebuys are unlimited in this game. I only gt T30 for each rebuy, but at the add-on stage, I get T45 for the same amount of money.

I decided to fold, but feel that I may have made a mistake. Was this the right move??


2nd: Blinds 15-30. I have about T500. I wake up with JJ UTG. The table has gotten VERY tight except for the LA to my right with about T600. She is the chip-leader and in the BB. I have been making a lot of plays for the blinds with raises of only T60, and they have been paying off. I know, however, that she will call T30 with almost any two cards in the BB. I decide that I need to know what she has if we get involved, so I raise it up to T120.

Given the table and the LA in the BB, is this deviation from my normal opening raise justifyable? Normally, I don't like opening for more than 3x the BB (especially against a LA chip leader), but it felt necessary in this situation.

Comments please!!


thanks,

-Marlow

1) I think you did the right thing. The rock's flat call looks very suspicious. It simply makes no sense to flat-call a T20 raise when you have only T50, unless you have a huge hand and want people to overcall.


> Given the table and the LA in the BB, is this deviation from my normal opening raise justifyable?


2) 4 times the BB is not out of line and besides improving your chance to get the blinds, you gain an additional advantage: If LA calls, there will be T255 in the pot and you have T380 left, which prevents him from check-raising you with draws or marginal holdings (like middle pair w/ overcard kicker) and increase his tendency to bet out with top-pair, so you should be able to make more accurate laydowns.


cu


Ignatius

"1) I think you did the right thing. The rock's flat call looks very suspicious. It simply makes no sense to flat-call a T20 raise when you have only T50, unless you have a huge hand and want people to overcall."


I agree. In the situation described, I would normally require a pair of Kings (which is a world apart from JJ and QQ in the sense that you could suddenly be holding the bigger pocket pair or a rare case of AK being dominated).


However, given the Rock's cold call... very hypothetical, could anyone fold Kings here?!?!?


lars

> could anyone fold Kings here?!?!?


With a stack less than 10 times the big blind, there's no way that I would ever fold kings preflop.


cu


Ignatius