I’m going to tell you about a hand I played late last night at the Coquitlam Boulevard Casino, and I encourage you to write in and let me know what you think and how you might have played it.
I was playing at a $1/$2 no limit table, and I picked up J-J in mid-position. I hate pocket jacks because of the many ways they can be beat, so I limp for $2. Almost everyone calls around to the small blind who raises the bet to $7 – a good pot building bet, but not necessarily the sign of an extremely strong hand. Often this raise might indicate a hand like AQ or AJ offsuit or perhaps a suited connector of some sort. The 4 or 5 players ahead of me call $7 and I decide to re-raise to $35 to narrow the field. The player directly to my left instantly flat calls $35 (having only $2 previously invested) and the small blind who first raised the pot calls the $35, as well as one other player ahead of me. The flop brings 3, 4, 7 with 2 clubs. The two players ahead of me check and I bet out $60. The player to my left, who also has best position now, quickly raises to $120. The other 2 players fold. Straight away I put him on a set, having called pre-flop with 3-3, 4-4, or 7-7. Chances are good he would have limped in with one of these hands, yet be willing to call a sizable raise pre-flop. Then I think back to the hands I had seen him play earlier. He was by far the most aggressive player at the table, but also liked to slow play hands when he had the nuts. I sat there for a while contemplating my options. I could fold, as there was a good chance he had me beat. I could call the $120, and likely face a large bet or an all-in on the turn. Or I could re-raise (likely all in if I thought I was ahead, to avoid the risk of him hitting an overcard, or making a straight or a flush draw). After taking note of the size of the pot as well as the aggressive nature of the player, I decided I would go all in for the remaining $250 or so I had in front of me (his stack had me covered). He thought about whether to call for quite some time and eventually laid his hand down. I showed him the pocket jacks and he said he folded a mid-pocket pair, although I never actually saw his hand.
Why did I decide to play the hand this way? Did I have a gut feeling I was best, or was I just tired deciding it was time to “go big or go home”? No, I simply pieced together the way the hand played out, factored in the playing styles of the players around me, as well as the amount of money I had already invested in the pot and the overall size of the pot. The decision made itself clear. Then again, the guy could just as easily have had a set of 7s and taken my stack!
Post your comments and let me know how you might have played this hand differently. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. |
