How to Play Pocket Jacks (JJ)
written by BeatTheFish.com
...Fishy says, "Don't get hooked
for a big one with pocket hooks. Isn't that nickname a bit un-PC
towards fish?"
Pocket Jacks (sometimes called pocket
hooks for the resemblance of a J to a fish hook) are one of the most
difficult hands to profitably play in no limit hold'em. It is a
good, but not great, made hand that is a sight for card-dead eyes
preflop but quickly turns into a problem hand when one or more
overcards appears on the flop. Pocket Jacks also require greater
attention in cash games, which typically feature better play and can
cost you a lot more than a single tournament buy-in when you misplay
a hand. In this piece, I would like to give you some of my own
methods for dealing with this troublesome no limit hand.
Before I delve into specific
strategy, let's examine the actual strength of pocket Jacks without
any information from your opponents. Certainly, Jacks are worthy of
playing. It is a pretty big pocket pair and a made hand, meaning
that you already have a fairly strong hand without improvement from
the board. Only pocket Queens, Kings, and Aces have you beaten
preflop, obviously. Statistically speaking, you won't run into these
better hands terribly often, but when you do the hand can turn very
expensive if you're stubborn and don't see the writing on the walls.
More often, you will be up against overcards like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q
if you are in a raised pot. Unfortunately, you're only in a
coin-flip situation against overcards that go to showdown. You
should only want to play big pots with big hands in no limit
hold'em. Unfortunately, pocket Jacks aren't a "big" hand because of
their glaring vulnerability to bigger pocket pairs and overcards.
Preflop strategy in no limit cash
games: I will usually raise 3-4x the big blind about 80% of the
time if I'm opening the pot (the first one to make a raise) in any
position. Many strategy books will discount hands less than pocket
Queens from under the gun. I think that's a bit too tight for good
players. Just be sure not to overcommit from early position and play
it mostly like a small pocket pair on the flop. The other 20% I will
just call. My reason for raising is to thin the field and gain
information from my opponents. If I am reraised, I can narrow my
opponent's probable holdings to a higher pocket pair or a big Ace.
If it is a small reraise, I will probably call and rely on my
reading abilities on the flop. If it is a large reraise, I will
often fold. If I get limp-reraised, I will almost always fold unless
it is a tiny raise as my implied odds would still be large. A call
from my opponents could mean anything. The 20% limping with Jacks is
used to minimize risk and mix up my play. If the pot is raised
before I act, I will call about 70% of the time and make a small
reraise the other 30% of the time. Against a raise, I play pocket
Jacks similar to a small or medium pocket pair in that I try to keep
the pot small and flop a set before committing much money. The
occasional reraise is, again, mostly for information. If I am
reraised again, I am likely beaten already.
Strategy on the flop with no
overcards: Much of your action on the flop and beyond with
pocket Jacks will depend on your opponent(s) and how the action went
preflop. Most of the time, you'll either have called a small raise
preflop or you'll have made a small raise yourself and were called
by one or two players. The flop is usually very tricky with this
hand as, statistically, at least one overcard will appear 2/3 of the
time. However, that 1/3 of the time that I have an overpair to the
flop, I will bet aggressively. If you get flat-called, try to
examine the board for possible draws and play accordingly on the
turn and river. If you get raised on a 10-high flop, be on the
lookout for A-10 and continue to bet for value. I frequently get
lots of action from A-10 and K-10 on such flops. While I can't
account for every variable here, the main point is that you can (and
should) bet with at lot more confidence with ragged flops. At the
same time, this is the worst type of flop if you're up against a
larger pocket pair. There is no easy answer for when to release
Jacks here other than be ready to much your hand to a reraise or
two. The best that can happen is a call/fold in this situation.
Strategy on the flop with
overcards: Catching a flop with overcards with pocket Jacks
makes it much easier to get away from them cheaply. As mentioned
above, this type of flop is what you'll see 2/3 of the time. Of
course, just because there is an overcard on the flop doesn't mean
you should give up right away every time. If you're heads-up and
made the raise preflop, try making a continuation bet of 1/2 to the
full size of the pot. You should do this more frequently with only
one overcard rather than 2 or 3. Frequently, you'll pick up the pot
right there. You will just about every time that you opponent
doesn't pair up or hit a good draw. However, with 2 or more
opponents and overcards on the board, I would recommend checking and
folding to good-sized bet. Defending less than top pair to showdown
is a fast way to lose a lot of money in no limit hold'em.
Tournament strategy: As I play
mostly cash games, the above strategy is ideal mainly for cash
games. In tournaments, I will play pocket Jacks a bit stronger and
be willing to risk more chips. The main reason for this is that
players will generally play looser and poorer in tournaments than in
big cash games. I'm usually not willing to call all-in reraises in a
cash game with pocket Jacks as not too many good players will go
all-in with worse than pocket Queens. In tournaments, not only will
players go all-in with lower pocket pairs, they may also go in with
hands like Q-J or J-10 in later rounds. As the blinds increase,
pocket Jacks can definitely become all-in hands and are worth a lot
more than in your typically tight-aggressive cash game.
In conclusion, always keep in mind
that big pots are for big hands. Unless you hit a set or better,
pocket Jacks can be extremely vulnerable to both overcards and
bigger pocket pairs. While you do already have a made hand, I
recommend keeping the pot relatively small preflop. You should also
be very careful when you face a lot of pressure on small-card flops.
I have seen too many players go broke with pocket Jacks and Queens
against Kings and Aces when all the money goes in on a 7-high flop.
Remember to bet strongly heads-up on the flop, be ready to concede
multi-way flops with overcards, and always be more willing to play
in position.
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Poker Strategy
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