06- 3-04, LearnTexasHoldem:
Playing Jacks Preflop - Cont...
about the pocket jacks, would you say in a ring game it is a decent pre flop all in, with one small raise in front of you? because i feel that the hand should pay out somewhat, and taking it down before the flop is one way (as well as a good way to show that your playing style varies). as well since you are statistical favorite over big slick, its not a bad hand to go all in with right (if we assume no one else has pocket ace, queen or king)?
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also im working on a theory. at a fairly tight table where there is a family pot, is it a fair assumption that a lot of the face cards are tighed up in peoples hands and have a smaller chances of hitting if there are only marginal raises and mostly callers? an example where suited connectors or low pairs greatly go up in value considering that if the high cards are tied up, the low cards have a greater chance of hitting sets and straights?
one more thing, i seem to notice that when there is a straight draw of low cards on the flop, very often these cards pair the board, have you noticed this phenomenon? i notice it almost 30 percent of the time.
thanks again
great work
Andrew
Answer: To answer your first question, if you are playing no limit and there is just a small raise before you then there is nothing wrong with reraising. If it is a tourney then maybe going all-in isn't the worst idea if you don't fear the other player's first raise. In a cash game I'm not a big fan of going all-in preflop with a lot of chips with Jacks or Queens. Unless you find a maniac, most people will either have a big pair or AK when they go all-in preflop in which case you are either even money or a big underdog.
If there aren't a lot of chips at risk then things change but if you have a decent stack then it's probably not the best idea. That's not to say that you shouldn't go all-in with Jacks but invariably I make the wrong decision with both Jacks and Queens so I just try to avoid those situations. The way hands are played in tournaments is much different then in regular cash games. For example, in a tourney someone may go all-in with 88 preflop (even reraising someone else). Not many good no limit players would do that in a cash game since either you'll win a tiny pot or lose your whole stack.
As for your theory, that could make sense. If everyone just calls preflop then it's likely that many of the face cards are out there in hands like KT, KJ, QK, JT, AT, AJ, etc. Suited connectors are nice in those situations since you'll be getting a nice return on your money for the original investment. That's more important for limit holdem then no limit since in no limit you can win much larger pots but it still helps out. In no limit where there are a lot of preflop callers, like a family pot, I love little hands like 35s, 45s, 46s, etc. The reason is because many people will have weak Aces like A5 or A3 and then if you happen to flop a straight and they flop two pair, you can sting them nicely.
Lastly, I have noticed a lot of "trends" in the cards but that usually means I've been playing too long and need a rest. LOL Also I've noticed that the more I look for one thing, the more I see it.
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