A hand that always causes me problems

limits are .25-.50. UTG raises to $2.00, postion 8 calls and I raise to $6.00 with JJ. UTG then raises $31 more. Position 8 folds. What is the correct play here??? I don't have much information on UTG.

Just fold those Jacks.
Probably he has AK, AA, KK, QQ JJ, maybe 1010 or AQ.

Not much problem here, there will be another hand soon!

fold
you could be up against AA, KK, QQ, and I suppose you could also be up against AK. no decent player will raise that much without those types of cards, if you were lucky they might have TT and be trying to put a move on you thinking you have AK so they can steal from you if there are no overcards. in a live game if you really know your player you might be able to make a case for going ahead but probably not, on the internet you should definitely fold.
i don't like raising too much with JJ and TT in a NL or PL game, they are great when there are no overcards or if you flop a set but very dangerous as soon as an overcard hits. late in a tournament i'd go all-in on those any day.

You should fold. First off most people won't do this without a big hand. If he doesn't have a bigger pair, he's got overcards.

If you both have a decent of money in front of you (say $120+), then you should sometimes try just calling here pre-flop. You can then try a bet/raise if they check or make a sub-pot-sized bet when rags flop, or try and get all their money if you hit top set.

[Ignatius]

> UTG raises to $2.00, postion 8 calls and I raise to $6.00 with JJ

Form all things you can do, a small raise is by far the worst option. You have zero chance of taking it down or even getting it heads up and you would have to muck for a reraise.

If UTG is a sane player, I would call here and play for a set. If he is a maniac it's ok to raise, but you should at least make it $9 (i.e. the pot) to give you some chance to take it down and also to define your hand.

> UTG then raises $31 more. Position 8 folds.

Muck. While you might be on a coin-flip against overcards (i.e. AK), most of the times you will be a 4:1 dog against a higher pair.

cu

Ignatius

Thanks fella's. I guess it doesn't cause me as much trouble as I thought because fold it I did. My thinking was as described by all of you. I was certain that it was a very bad situation and decided to save the chips for a better one. I appreciate your comments.

Larry

Larry,

This depends tremendously on stack sizes. If you've both got over $350 and he'll play hard with an overpair, call. Go for the set. Doesn't matter if he's got you beat preflop if you've got a good shot at over 10x your investment.

If the stack sizes are smaller, you should usually fold. You may on occasion reraise. Just don't call.

Matt

[JohnG]

Fold. You will be against AA or KK the majority of the time.

Assuming deep money, You should not usually re-raise with JJ or QQ. Call and go for the set in order to win a big pot.