JJ middle position in 3/6

I have JJ in middle position. Pre-flop: 2nd UTG calls, I raise, 1 cold caller, button re-raises, 2nd UTG caps, I call, cold caller folds, button calls.


2nd UTG is loose, passive. He tends to burn chips near the end of his stack to get all in, which he has been several times already, and he's close again. Button is loose, aggressive (borderline maniac). Button and I have history: Before he sits, he reminds me of hand the other night that I called him down head-to-head with Ace high through some raises to win a hand. I tend to play tight, aggressive and I think that's my table image at this point.


Flop is AKx, 2 clubs. 2nd UTG bets, I raise (My only chance is to take the pot here. One of these guys has to be here with at least an A or K. I'm pretty certain no-one has made a set), button re-raises, 2nd UTG calls, I call (I think I should have folded here, especially considering my plan to check-fold unless I get a miracle J on the turn).


Turn is a 6h, two hearts now. 2nd UTG and I check-fold to button bet. Button, who is very vocal, is shocked, can't figure out what's going on. Shows one of his cards (6c) and says he's on a draw.


What do you think? I have to stay with these two raisers pre-flop. I think I wasted the last small bet post-flop. Button has been going to the showdown with flush draws and paying off when he doesn't hit. I considered calling down the button after we were head-to-head, but I decided to wait 'til later to face him down with something stronger.

Good fold. You should have folded the flop unless you hit a jack if you were playing anything but complete maniacs anyway. JJ is a good hand but when capped three-way even hyper-aggressive players will have you beat pre-flop very often and the few times they don't they will almost certainly have outs or out-flop you with a...err...a flop just like this and sometimes a lower set (although I really believe you are facing BIGGER pairs most of the time).


An important question here on the flop is whether you have the jack of clubs on the flop, and which cards that are clubs of the flopped ones (if both A and K are clubs, I would CALL for one more card here hoping to spike a Jack, a club or even a gutshot on the turn. Calling the turn with another club is mandatory, and you could even be getting odds on continuing to chase the gutshot).


If you spike a Jack it's close between just calling the turn or raising it, depeding in how likely the opponent is to have excactly AA or KK. In this spot, it might actually make sense to raise the river instead if a blank falls (or bet if a flush card comes), as your opponent would fear a nut straight and will no longer punish you with AA or KK.


But unless you have Jc here, I think you must fold the flop.


lars

I think you should fold on the flop. Even if 2nd UTG is loose, you said he was passive. It's rare for a passive player to cap without AK or a big pocket pair.


The flop is terrible for you. You hand has a low probability of being good and faces bad reverse implied odds if good. If not good, you have few outs, which are not to the nuts.


With this dangerous flop you can expect action. You are sandwiched between a preflop capper and a borderline maniac. Expect to pay 3 or 4 bets here to see a card; your odds are not good enough. I strongly feel you should fold to the first flop bet.


But, if you call the flop because you characterize both players as likely to be fooling around, then you have to call to the end. To do otherwise just encourages more bluffing and makes bluffing more profitable for your opponent. Your action on the turn closes the betting, and the person you are most scared of (2nd UTG) has folded. I think a call here on the turn would be better than your 1st call on the flop (whether or not it's right depends on your opponent, but with a maniac, you must call for the size of the pot)

You have self analysed the hand well. "Flop is AKx, 2 clubs. 2nd UTG bets, I raise (My only chance is to take the pot here. One of these guys has to be here with at least an A or K. I'm pretty certain no-one has made a set), button re-raises, 2nd UTG calls, I call (I think I should have folded here, especially considering my plan to check-fold unless I get a miracle J on the turn)."

With a flop like that you are looseing by a long way.


Your pre-flop play was fine and your re-raise on the flop will tell you a lot about the strength of your opponents hands. Yes i feel like you wasted a sb on the flop and the sooner you realise this the better, because plays like that can cost you your whole stack!


All the Best.

Alcatraz...