My name is Sooga... and I'm addicted to JT

That's right. Good ol Jack/Ten. I'll play it anywhere. Unless it's only 2 or 3 ways capped, I'll play it for a raise. If it's s0000ted, there's nothing short of a fire in the card room that can get me off the hand preflop. I'm hopelessly addicted. Other players have problems letting go of pocket pairs, but I have no problem throwing 77 into the muck from EP in a tight game. But if I have JT, I just have to limp in, even with the knowledge that it will probably be raised behind me. Luckily for me, I'm just sane enough to let it go when I flop a A 7 3 or something similar, but preflop, I just can't let my baby go... HELP!! Anyone have similar hands they can't let go? What have you done to cure this stack-crippling addiction??

I can't get into my head why Sklansky didn't include 52s in group 8 along with 42s and 32s. I feel sorry for 52s and every other startinghand that should have been grouped but were left out in the cold. Therefore I play 52s as a group 5 hand before the flop, just to make its lonely existence a little more bearable.

While playing in low limit games, I have heard dozens of times that JT, especially suited, is a player's favorite hand. They aren't saying it's the best- just their favorite. These same players also tend to dislike AA because they've been beat with it too many times. In my experience, these are the most popular and least populr Hold'em hands.


Most Popular

1. JTs

2. AKs

3. AA


Leas Popular

1. JJ

2. TT

3. AA


So, at the very least, you're not alone.

Most Popular

1. JTs

2. AKs

3. AA


Low limit games are usually 4-6 handed preflop and these hands all play well against a big field.


Leas Popular

1. JJ

2. TT

3. AA


In the same game these hands can be very expensive for players not good enough to muck them early.

I was at a 4 8 table the other day, guy to my right limps in, bunch of other people limp, flop comes jack high, someone bets, he turns to me and says "I hate this hand" and flashes me AsKs before mucking.

ya ever loved a special other of that name???,,gl

Sooga -


Me too, and I just got over my love. See, I found out that JTs is the younger sister of a friend of mine...wait, let's save that discussion.


Seriously, I had never mucked it preflop in a game before, that I could recall. Then, last weekend, I'm playing 30-60 at the Bellagio, and I limp in early position in a tight game with it. A solid player 2 off of the button raised, and it was heads up. There I was, with this piece of cheese (mighty fine cheese, but cheese nonetheless), out of position against a solid player. I realized the perils of ever duplicating this situation again. Fortunately I could muck it on the flop and only lose $60 with it.


I still feel that KTs and JTs have very similar merits (yes, the debate will rage on). I don't play KTs in early position, and thus I can now justify dumping JTs in early position in many (but definitely not ALL) games.


My two pennies.


Josh

If you held AKs, no raise preflop, and someone raised when a jack showed, would you stay, at least for the turn. What if it hits your hand? It's just one bet, plus you could try to get a free card and I would guess if there were a lot of limpers your oldds would be okay.....


Joe

Well I stuck with my JT today, and I happened to win a $66 high hand jackpot with it on UltimateBet. I knew JT would reward me for my long-time loyalty.

I always call with JTs from the early position and will certainly call a raise if the pot is not heads up.

I don't know if this makes sense if you're up against AK or AQ type of hands is it logical to think that you have a better chance of catching something not only do you already have two flush cards and possible nut straight cards, but against tight players you have another advantage in that you are more likely to catch a jack or ten on the board than they are to catch one of their higher cards because there are now fewer of those higher cards left to be dealt since a few are being played in pockets.

Some of the great starting hands I see played quite often are: Ax utg, K2, QT, Q9, J9, 69 hmmm, 64. Compared to these Jt is absolutely normal!


I have a nice sometimes relationship going with 86 and 97. I can't say I am addicted to them, but put me in middle or late position with most in before me and I find them hard to throw away. Put me in a real loose game and 57, 64 start looking good too.

"you are more likely to catch a jack or ten on the board than they are to catch one of their higher cards because there are now fewer of those higher cards left to be dealt since a few are being played in pockets"


regrettably, that is a total fallacy


there are as many of his aces unseen in the deck to be dealt to the centre as there are of your jacks - there are as many aces dealt to players' pockets as there are jacks, or twos, or sevens, etc


it may be that not as many people in the pot at the flop have jacks as have aces, but that is only because people prefer to play aces rather than jacks

If you see a lot of multi-way action before and after the flop JTo is your friend for one good reason: every straight it makes is the nuts.


If it's a really aggressive game your implied odds are pretty much killed but you still are looking for drawing hands anyway so why not in late position - you may hit it, and if not your image will benefit anyway.

Ok,


Flop is K Q J, turn is the 9 , and someone else shows you the real nuts! It is that kind of thinking that makes J/10 so popular. As for me it is 6/9 suited. Just cannot resist it!!!

...should have clarified. If JT fills 2 holes in a straight then it's the nuts. If you're going all-in on the example cited above then obviously not (KQT97 or whatever).


JTo is not a monster, don't get me wrong, but it has its place in the list of hands to play if you can play it well. I like it for those loose games, or for situations with good implied odds.