3 late position blinds

$15/$30 game on Paradise Poker. I join a 6 handed game, hoping to play a little shortish-tabled while it filled. Three of the four empty seats are in a row; I take the last of course. By the time the button passes me the table is full. Both the players to my right post their late position blinds. I assume I should be willing to do so as well, but I haven't really thought about it much because it usually doesn't come up at the live casinos where I play. Any opinions?


One early player limps, then it's folded to the first poster who raises. The second poster folds and it's to me with AcJc. What's my play?


I felt I should take advantage of my good position and reraise. I thought that the raiser could profitably raise with a lot of hands, given all the forced money in the pot, and that I should put as much pressure on the normal blinds and limper as possible. Small blind folds, big blind calls, the limper and raiser call. 13 2/3 small bets in the pot.


Flop is 2s3cJs. All players check to me, I bet. This seems like a no brainer? I don't think the idea of checking to have a better chance of thinning the field on the turn applies here, since noone is likely to have a 5-outer 1 pair hand or a gutshot, and I don't want to give a free card to a hand like KT that might fold. Anyway, BB checkraises me, limper folds, poster cold calls. What do I do?


I three bet, since it seemed like the BB almost certainly had a jack with a weaker kicker or possibly a second pair hand like 88. This didn't seem like a good position to slowplay, and I thought the BB might cap with QQ and certianly with KK and AA given the situation. Both players called, and the turn was the 2c, giving me a nut flush draw in addition to my top pair. I bet after they checked, and only the BB called. On the river the 8d fell, my opponent checked and I bet. The turn and river seem fairly automatic.


Comments appreciated, results tomorrow.


David

Hmmm. I think that your play seems pretty solid from here. I think you have to like the flop and the fact that this guy doesn't come again when you 3-whack the flop. I would guess that you are tied, but unless your opponent is very poor, there is no way he/she can have a worse jack. I think you are tied. I would have played every street the exact same way. If you dragged this pot, I'd like to know what the HH showed that your opponent had. Anything less than AJ is pathetic.


As an aside, I don't mind the idea of checking the turn if you are against the type of player that may have QQ or KK or AA and is looking to checkraise the turn. Unfortunately, you have to bet given the involvement of the third player. I see checking as an option against a specific opponent that you have a very good read on that you can say for sure has *at the very least* AJ. Then if you make the flush you get your missed bet back on the end and if you don't and you're tied or beaten, you've lost one bet instead of two (or three given that you've got to call a checkraise on the turn given your new flush outs.) Its all very situational and the option to make any play that isn't automatic (which you did) only comes if you know the player very well. It sounds to me like you hadn't been in the game long enough to have such specific information.


I also think that the BB may have been thinking you were on a "re-steal" against a late position player that you perceived as having a mediocre hand. I see this alot online when people play their blinds. They call 2 cold against a late position raise/3 bet with terrible/dominated hands.


All told, I'd do it exactly like you did given your situation. I think your play here was automatic.


Best,

-CW

"Anything less than AJ is pathetic"


I disagree. The pot was enormous pre-flop, and the players coming in are late position blinds. The 3 - bettor doesn't need a super hand to play this way. The BB shouldn't play draws or tiny pairs, but should be willing to get in the pot more given that the players in question are likey not that strong.


The Preflop 3 bettor could easily have a big flush draw or a jack with a medium-high kicker, or a pocket pair. Folding a jack here should be out of the question against most players that sit in this game. You will lose most of the time with a weak jack, but you will win often enough to make a profit. There are about 8 big bets in the pot after the 3 bet, and it costs you 2.5 to get to the end. If some bad cards fall, you can fold (maybe), but you also might improve.


I agree that against many players one should fold, I just don't think there are many of these players in the game described.


Good luck.


Dan Z.