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Playing a Pot Limit tournament down to the last 30 final table gets paid. Blinds are level at T400 I have a bigger than average stack (for the table) of T7,000.


I am in the BB and the action is folded round to the SB a player who has recently joined the table with about T10,000. I have played with him on a number of occasions and he is a loose aggressive player. He raises the pot I decide that if I am going to pop him back I should have something a little better than J2 off suit and fold. He shows Q10 and says "I'd have had to fold to a raise"


Next round same postion he raises again this time I have K10. I only have about 5% of chips in the blind so I can afford to let it go but this feels weak. Without the advertising on the previous round I am straight back over the top.


How should I play it from here ??

Ross,


The main thing you have to realise is that against many (probably most) opponents, J2 is every bit as good (or bad) as KT in this spot. If you re-raise and get called or raised back, you are losing with either one. And KT isn't losing by less ! OK KT is better against QQ or JJ or a medium pair (but would he call the reraise with say 88 ?), but J2 is better against AK or KK.


You don't need "a little better" than J2. You either need a lot better, and I mean a lot, or J2 is just fine.


As for the advertising, some people do it on purpose, some people just like to show their hand and be the centre of attention. Depends on the individual.


Andy.

Andy


I see your point entirely about the quality of the hands to reraise against a late position steal.


I suspect I do not completely trust my judgement in these situations hence I would tend to favour hands that give me a little bit more protection (however marginal) against me getting it wrong.


As it transpired my opponent had AK (which he kindly showed me after I had passed).


In the circumstances had I reraised then a King flops I could get myself in trouble, at least with J2 I am less likely to flop something that tempts me into betting again.


Thanks


Ross

Ross,


I agree with your decision to fold the J2, since it is difficult to play if you just flop a duece.


I would defend with the KT against a loose agressive player, but I would not reraise him for several reasons. The first reason is this type of player will usually call your raise, so you don't get rid of him. There is an exception, but you would have to be pretty sure that he would fold, and the only way you know this is if you have seen him fold to a reraise from someone else. If he has never folded to a reraise, just call.


He will probably bet the flop, so just call even if it looks scary. Then if you make something by the turn you can reraise him if he bets. He'll fold if he does not have nothing or if he believes you really have a hand.


I disagree with Andy's post above about the value of KT vs. J2. KT will win more often. You will beat all pairs below ten approximately 50% of the time, you will beat queens, jacks, and tens approximately 25% of the time. If he has a hand like AQ or AJ you will win 35% of the time. With J2 the odds are not so good and the hand is harder to play.


Good Luck


Mark

Mark,


I'm afraid you just don't have enough chips to play like that. 400-400 blinds and only 7000 in our stack, by the time you call the first raise, then call the flop, you'll barely have enough chips to bet the turn to any effect never mind raise. I really don't want to call out of position against an opponent who could have any hand and will "probably bet" the flop. Do you really want to call pre-flop and check-call the flop for most of your chips with KT ?


My point is that a pre-flop reraise will be a substantial amount of chips for your opponent to call. KT is so marginally better than J2 _against those hands which will play back to a reraise_ that your opponent's ranges of raising and re-raise-calling hands are much more important factors than the two cards you currently hold.


Andy.

Andy,


I understand what you are saying and maybe you are right in this case, but I took exception to the fact that you called J2 and KT almost the same and they are not.


I've run some simulations and KT usually wins 5% of the time more than J2.


I was in a similar situation with KT in the big blind. The guy on my right would try to steal whenever no one came in before him. The button raised and I called his raise because I knew he would raise me with just about anything. The flop came J-T-4. He bet the pot and I called. On the turn came an 8. He bet enough to put me in and I called. The river was a K. He had AQ which was better than I thought.


If you can show me the math of where it would be wrong to call an over agressive player with KT vs. J2 I'll believe you, but I think there is a big difference.


Now, if you are saying that the "advertising" on a previous round should indicate a premium hand next time, that's another story.

Mark,


I think we can reach agreement. I am talking about the case where you reraise your opponent a ton of chips and he is the kind of opponent who is only going to call your reraise with a premium hand such as AA, KK, QQ, AK and believe me if you have the right image and enough chips you can make many opponents fold anything less. Against that range of hands there isn't much difference between any of the lesser hands you can have, right ?


If you have enough chips to call and you are comfortable playing this way, out of position as I say, but if you are going to call then for sure KT is better than J2. I wouldn't call very often with either hand though.


Andy.

Andy,


I agree, the only point I wanted to make is loose aggressive players that will bet 44 like its KK because they think you will lay it down. Many times these guys will bet a pair of nines the same way, so a call with KT gives you almost even odds. I just perfer to call down the super loose aggressive players rather than reraise, especially when they are really weak, I think you get more money out of them then when you reraise. Of course a reraise is in order to protect your hand, but that always depends on what you think your opponent is holding.