Getting fancy with J5

[partygirluk]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (8 handed) converter

Hero (t3100)
UTG (t3885)
UTG+1 (t195)
MP1 (t3690)
MP2 (t3060)
CO (t2010)
Button (t505)
SB (t4240)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises to t195</font>, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, SB calls t145, <font color="#666666">[i]Hero?

Who elses like putting in a nice fat raise here?

1,000 FPP tourney. Top 9 get 10,000 FPP (~$200). This is my first round at the table.

[Sam T.]

If you think you're ahead, sure.

But seriously, folks... I sometimes try this sort of pure bluff, but it seems to get called far too often. I'd be especially careful of doing this in a FPP tournament when you will get called by lousy hands that are (in this case) better than yours.

[Cleveland Guy]

I'm sorry- I don't see why you would want to raise here?

UTG +1 is all in - so I have to think his hand is ahead of yours.

If you raise, and the SB folds, you have no side pot to play for.

So your J5 is up against the all in, which is probably ahead of you, and possibly dominating you.

Maybe I don't see it - but why would you want to put a raise in here?

I would call - and bet out only if a J or a 5 hits.

[betgo]

Fold.

[Jim T]

Folding sounds like the best play by far.

UTG likely has Ax0, any broadway, or a PP. SB likely has either a decent or great hand.

What do you gain from a big raise? Best case scenario, the SB folds, and you have heads up with UTG. Your play resulted in +EV: you paid 95 for a chance to win 585. You probably have a better than 1:6 chance at the pot, perhaps twice that.

However, worst case the SB calls or re-raises.

If the SB is weak, this play should turn out OK (though with high variance). If he is aggressive and/or has a strong hand, this play is a disaster in progress.

Again, fold.

[adanthar]

Folding is atrocious. You're getting 6:1 on a call for 3% of your stack.

Reraising is too risky, though, and half the time the SB will let you see five cards for nothing anyhow. Just call and check it through unless you hit something.

[Jim T]

[ QUOTE ]
Folding is atrocious. You're getting 6:1 on a call for 3% of your stack.

Reraising is too risky, though, and half the time the SB will let you see five cards for nothing anyhow. Just call and check it through unless you hit something.

[/ QUOTE ]

And when an A or K falls, the SB doesn't even have to hit it to be able to force you out of the hand. Even if you hit your J and it's the high card, you are very possibly way behind.

While you probably have a better than 1:6 chance of ultimately holding the best hand, maybe 1:5, a J5 is such a weak hand that you are vulnerable to any raise. Either you fold, wasting the extra 95, or you put a lot more than 3% of your chips at risk while getting the worst of it.

You need to pick your spots, and I just don't see why you would choose this one.

[adanthar]

If I hit my J and it's the high card, it's very unlikely the SB will be betting into me. If he checkraises or check/calls, well, he's got something so I'm done but at the very least if he check/calls I see a free river.

If an A falls and the SB bets into me, well, I missed and even if the SB has nothing UTG might so I fold.

Bottom line is if you play competently postflop this is a fine spot.

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
Folding is atrocious. You're getting 6:1 on a call for 3% of your stack.

[/ QUOTE ]

Even if you hit your J or your 5, you could still lose the hand.

[adanthar]

What's your point?

I prefer having J5 here to having A2.