How much you like them Jacks?

[Acesover8s]

$5-$10 NL game. 1 limper to me in EMP and i limp with red jacks. 2 more limpers.

SB, who is the same player from my earlier AJ thread makes it $60 straight. I have $950 and he has me covered. I smoothcall and the player on the button calls.

Flop comes 258 with 2 spades. He bets $120. You like your jacks? What are you going to do with em?

[jdl22]

These are the ways I've thought of playing the hand. I'm assuming by weak you mean that he is weak-tight and will lay down his hand given scary cards:

- Smooth call and look to steal later if a third suited card comes

this sucks if you're ahead though because there are 12 cards you don't want to see turn. Moreover he has underbet the pot so if he's (semi)bluffing he's betting less than you would if you knew you were ahead.

- raising the pot

I like this option the most I think. You can raise and then see what he does. My hunch is that your jacks are good. If he pushes then you can fold (unless you think he would push with as little as a flush draw in which case we've gone from 1 tough decision to another /images/graemlins/crazy.gif). If calls and the turn is a brick and he bets out I would probably push at that point.

- folding

sucks if you are ahead even more than smooth calling.

[Nero]

depends entirely on SB's raising standards from EP. if the only info you have is from the other hand you posted, i would pot it and give up if called/raised.

[1800GAMBLER]

This sucks.

I thought raise for information, but this player will probably push with 99 TT enough times for you to call his push. So raising for information is pointless.

If you plan to call in your stack you are going to be going even money, that wont show much of a profit since there are 3 overpairs 2 underpairs, the overpairs are more likely and AK may quit betting.

Folding isn't really awful. While you'll fold the best hand a large majority of the time the other options are very very slim +EV.

I vote call now and see the turn action. Try to best read his pauses and bet size. If he pots it again i think you can safely fold.

[turnipmonster]

this hand would be a lot easier to play if you had raised preflop. the real question is will this player back an overpair with his stack?

calling and folding to a pot bet on the turn seems ugly, but it may be the line to take. if you think you can make him fold, call and then raise the turn. if checks the turn after your flop call, congratulations, it's your pot. bet the turn and watch him fold.

if he's really fishy and hard to read and not trying to read you then just lay it down, he probably has an overpair.

--turnipmonster

[ML4L]

Hey Aces,

I don't really know what I would do yet, but I think it's raise or fold time. As Jay implies, a smaller or bigger stack would make raising pretty straightforward. But, in the given situation, I don't favor a call, and here's why:

1) 20 cards (4 A's, 4 K's, 4 Q's, and the remaining 8 spades) can come on the turn that make folding to a bet automatic (although, 2 of those cards are probably in his hand). And some of those times, you might be folding the best hand (eg if he has AKo with a spade and he bets when a baby spade falls on the turn, or an ace comes and he bets his 99).

2) Even with AK or AQ, he might put YOU on a spade draw and bet again if a spade doesn't fall.

3) There is still a man to act behind you. What would you do if he raised the flop? Or, if he calls the flop, it makes turn play even more complicated when SB does check.

If he is so weak/readable that you won't make a mistake on the turn, you might be able to call the flop. But, I'd probably just let this one go. If one or two aspects of the hand were slightly different, you can play on. But, given the situation, I'd probably just pick a better spot to duke it out...

Hope it worked out.

ML4L