JJ UTG+1

[nothumb]

This seems obvious, but let me ask.

JJ UTG+1, 8 players left, stacks pretty even. Play has been pretty tight. 20+2 SNG, level 3, you have not yet had to show down a hand but have stolen or won without showdown a lot. People seem to have noticed as the table is talkative. You raise to T200 (blinds 25-50), folded to the BB who thinks and goes all in. He has you covered, you are average stack with 1150 and nobody is over 1400 or under 800.

Fold?

NT

[BradleyT]

Easy fold.

JJ and TT are the two easiest pairs to lay down to a re-raise all in early on.

[caretaker1]

Some others may disagree, but, at level 3 with 8 players, I'm limping with JJ UTG+1 and playing it for the set. My $.02.

[Jason Strasser]

I think the blinds are worth stealing. You should raise. I like 200, I do 150, it doesn't matter.

When you get reraised, you are in small favorite, big dog territory. I suppose you will be a big dog a small part of the time, and if I had a note on the player in question which read "Action Fishy", I'd call. But against an avg opponent, easy fold. You have plenty of chips to be effective. Don't play these guessing games.

[Jason Strasser]

I may limp behind a very solid player with JJ, opting not to raise. But I disagree heavily with open limping. Very often you will get this hand 3-handed by open limping, and that is not what you want. With JJ, you want a huge multi-way pot (like 5-6 handed) so u can play set/fold, or you want it heads up. (or you want the blinds)

I don't limp here.

[PennDenn]

[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ] It comes to a point where you have to take a chance. If you want to be a winner-a big winner-at No-Limit Hold'em...you can't play solid, safe game. You must get in there and gamble. DB
[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

I would call since no one has called you and he might be trying you. That is my $.02.

[PrayingMantis]

[ QUOTE ]
level 3, you have not yet had to show down a hand but have stolen or won without showdown a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

How come you have stolen *a lot* when it's only level 3? Do you play an overly loose-aggressive play in early rounds, and if so, why? What's the point in stealing a lot of blinds that are worth 20T?

This is not a criticism, I'm just asking.

If people are reading you as raising PF a lot (i.e, with all kinds of crap), well, the value of calling this all-in is much higher than in normal circumstances, because BB will be willing to push against you with a much bigger variety of hands than if you had played tight.

By folding here, you might very well fold in a significant +CEV spot. And here comes the main question: you played super-loose early on, and created an "action" image. But now, you have a chance to use it. If you fold, you are actually giving it up. So what did you achieve?

My point is, that by playing very LAG, you induce people to challange you with a big variety of hands. That can be advantagous for you, although risky. You brought yourself to this point. I think you probably have to take the risky way, since, IMO, there's a big chance BB is pushing against you here with a dog.

[JustTens]

I would always raise here because it makes the hand a much easier hand to play. If you raise and ace, king or queen hits the flop its easy to lay it down to agression. If under cards hit its an easy bet that will probably win you the pot then. As for calling the All-in... With the amount of chips you have if you layed the hand down you'd have enough to make some moves. Like everyone else said you're going to be 50/50 at best most of the time

[Cosimo]

In the SNGs I play (UB), the flop is often 5-handed if I open limp, and only 3-handed if I raise (to 3x BB). In the first couple levels, it might very well be 4-handed after I open-raise from UTG+1.

Overcards and any betting at all and I drop on the flop. Serious strength on the flop with undercards and I fold. I'm drawing for a set.

[caretaker1]

"With JJ, you want a huge multi-way pot (like 5-6 handed) so u can play set/fold, or you want it heads up. (or you want the blinds)" Jason, just some thoughts:

Doesn't limping encourage a multiway pot, particuarly with one caller already? If there were no raise, there would be an absolute minimum of three players.

At an 8 handed table, I don't want heads up JJ out of position (assuming my opponent isn't the inital caller). If overcards come, I likely fold and have wasted an extra 100-150 chips. If they don't, I don't know where I'm at (heads up in a raised pot).

75 chips doesn't seem worth stealing at this point.

If I choose the raise , when I get re-raised, what do I do? Muck the jacks and drop 150-200 (admittedly, there would still be enough chips to play with, but still chips are chips): this reminds me of, if my memory is right, of Sklansky's point about turning a good hand into a 72.

I'm interested in your opinion, maybe I'm missing something that I shouldn't be.