"Bubble" hand - $540 daily Bellagio

[JohnnyF]

Six players left, five make the money. Hero has $17,800 (about average) and the blinds are $400 - 800 w/ $75 ante. UTG folds, next player (short stack) moves in for $3700. Button and small blind have approx $35k each and are the big stacks. Hero looks down at two jacks.

What is the optimal play here?

Hero decides to make it $10k. THe thinking here is that you are now "pot committed", indicating that anyone coming in from behind needs to have a monster. Folds to the small blind, who moves in for $35k. Small blind hasn't been anything special or crazy up to this point.

Now, your play? Pot is approx $31k and you need to call $7,800. You are on the bubble.

Comments appreciated. Decision and results to come.

[Lloyd]

You should have pushed to begin with but now you call. Getting 4 to 1 odds with Jacks is too good to pass up. You very likely have the best hand and the only way you bubble out is if the shortstack's hand beats both yours and the big stacks. Even if you lose, as long as the shortstack also loses you finish in 5th place in the money.

I hate the bet here. I would have just called the short stacks all in and attempted to check down the hand with anyone else who came in, unless I flopped a J. If someone else wanted to raise, I'd have folded and let him take out the short stack. JJ loses too often for me to want to get too commited with it on the bubble.

[TomHimself]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate the bet here. I would have just called the short stacks all in and attempted to check down the hand with anyone else who came in, unless I flopped a J. If someone else wanted to raise, I'd have folded and let him take out the short stack. JJ loses too often for me to want to get too commited with it on the bubble.

[/ QUOTE ]that is incredibly weak


reraise allin to isolate

[JohnnyF]

Remember there is about $1500 in blind money making the pot a little over $5k. I'm not sure that a flat call here is great since you're going to have the blinds getting the right price to call with one overcard hands you'd rather eliminate.

If your goal is to scoot into the money however, it is probably an OK play to flat call here. If you're trying to accumulate some chips along the way, I think it may be a mistake.

[Exitonly]

i think by you only raising to 10k the SB thought he had some fold equity over you... maybe thouoght he could get heads up with shorrt stack for free.

so, push .. but since you didnt then call.

[JohnnyF]

A couple comments. 1) If I was planning on folding to a reraise, I think that $8k was a better bet. It accomplishes the same thing for a smaller amount. 2) The opponent almost always has to have a huge hand here.

I decided to fold the hand.

To be results oriented, the blind had AQo (wow!) and the early player had A3o. Good place to have the money in, right? Well, an Ace was the first card off the deck, so I guess it worked out here, but this hand does illustrate how difficult Jacks are to play in tourneys. Thanks for the input. Lots to consider.