Best Way to Play Jacks?

I always wonder wich is the best way to play pairs like J-J, T-T or 9-9. So, how do you play it? and what advice can you give to play with this hands.

There is no right or wrong way. Well, calling when you know your beat is a habit to break.

What hands we play is determined by our position. Usually the later our position the more we can expand our range of hands that we will play. I suggest you do a bit of reading on position and also download some hand strength charts that indicate what works best in which position.

As far as your question go I can say this. If you are in first to enter the pot from any position it's a good idea to raise with JJ but be prepared to fold if someone behind you re-raises you. If someone else already raised before you it is better to just call and see a flop with the aim of getting a set. If someone raised and was in turn re-raised before you then fold. In such a case JJ will rarely be the best hand and you don't want to get caught between to top pairs.

Pocket Tens and lower should rarely be played from an early position. These are great hands for late position when there was little or no betting in front of us. If you play them from early position then there's a very good chance that someone wakes up with a bigger pair behind you and if they then re-raise you'll have to fold. In late position you can also just call a raise and try to hit a set on the flop but be pre-paired to fold if you miss.

So JJ is fine to open a pot with but not to get into a betting war with pre-flop. Tens and lower you play in late positions like the button or cut-off with the sole aim of hitting a set.

Of course there are always exceptions but if you're a beginner stick to the above at first. As you gain more experience you learn to know what kind of player your opponents are and can adjust you opening hand range accordingly. For example if someone is always raising with junk like KT or 78 from early positions then we might consider starting to call with medium to strong pocket pairs and strong connectors like AJ/KQ etc.

Emi - i think the best way is to raise Big preflop... push out all smaller cards that can end up beating you. on the flop make a value bet see where you are at and bet pretty big. Most likely they fold. but if the flop comes A K 5 or something well then id get ready to fold lol.

Pocket Js have always been the bane of my existence in poker lol. What I've noticed is whenever I get them, it tends to give other players on the table more of a chance of getting AKs or KQ type hands. The good thing is that it helps take away more of a chance for them to hit their straight in that situation. Unless it's late in the tournament and I need to double up for the higher blinds, I never go all in with Js. Depending on what position and how other players bet, I typically raise slightly higher than 4 times BB. It hopefully pushes weak kicker As off and makes other aggressive players who call with mediocre hands like 89, K9 etc. either fold or think I have pocket Qs+.

For pocket 10s and 9s, it depends. I have more luck with them because they are straight type cards and tend to hit trips more often than lower or higher pocket pairs so either I raise all in or raise moderate. If there are few callers, I tend to raise them all in since usually they have to chase with face cards and 9s and 10s are better for chasing.

best way to play JJ Fold..LOL

I like this very helpful

I will express my opinion for the 9-max tournaments. With pocket cards JJ, TT or 9-9 to raise 3-5 BB from any position or call a standard raise size. With these cards, you do not have to go limp into the game. Pocket cards JJ, TT, 9-9 becomes difficult to play, when on the board appears overcard and the opponent calls the raise.

A friend of mine says that JJ is the hand of death. 50% of the time we will win with this hand, survive if we are shorts or stay deep at the table. The other sad 50% is when we lose, and they take away much of our stack, or worse, we eliminated from the tournament. Until now I have not found a correct way to play this hand. It will depend a lot on the position and our stack.

well If all players before me folded or just call, I will rise 3 BB, but if after I tribet, someone re rises, I will fold right away.
Is very risky to be against QQ, KK, AA :deal:

The game with JJ depends on the position, opponents and the main format that you play. If you play a super-turbo tournament or spin - push, just push!

Pocket Jacks are tough to play, and much depends on your position. From an early position, I would put in a healthy raise to get Ax or KQ to fold....once you see the flop, it will be a fairly straight forward decision.

I'd rather just pay in early positions. In final position a simple raise to see the flop. If someone raises before, I just paid in the end. These pairs need attention and care to play, the main JJ that seems stronger than it is.

MAH HAH! JJ.... i play JJ like its 77, but i play 10 10 like its KK.. the jacks.... everyone knows about the JJ curse.. Just have to play them according to situation, even tho they don't win a lot. Hard to add value to JJ question.

If I have QQ KK or AA I go alin.
And with two JJ only call.

I play online poker and have faced many situations with a couple of hands I do triple check or Bank

I play it raising the 3 to 6 BB and the raise depend of the position and the others players, of course you need to be careful with any other card bigger than your pair.

3 bets

With pocket JJ I play either very aggressively or very passively (there is no middle) !!!
* If I raise with JJ I do it a little more than usual to understand where I am and knock out weak aces !!! If the player raises before you, or reraises, then I (depending on the stage of the tournament) go all-in or throw off the cards (just play limps, this is a bad option)

The main mistake is incorrect evaluation of the strength of a pair of jacks. Despite the fact that they look like a very decent hand, you should not try to put as many chips in the pot as possible before the flop. Adequate opponents are unlikely to play with you and without having an ace, a king or a lady, which means that on any flop where such cards come, you will feel very uncomfortable. Especially if you have previously invested a significant portion of your stack in the pot.

the better way to play this hands is like others hands, you have to observation the villains and how is the range of cards he playing, this hands dont is a premium hands and u have to be careful... look the positions and make a standard of play (like, open raise 2.5x, little c-bet, or if you hit the jack or nine like you say, one check raise is good) ... its too many situations, like drawns or straight drawns... be careful, man, poker is a hard game, its a mind game ...

gl!!!

JJ is kind of an intermediate hand early in a tournament lets say. Meaning you have to know whats going on at the table in order to play it aggressively. If you've got a guy at the table thats in a lot of pots then it becomes a monster 3 or 4 bet hand. If there are people that like to limp a lot then it becomes a great hand to squeeze with. On the other hand if the table NIT has 4x it UTG then those Jacks shrink up real quick. Later on in the tournament, when BB's get low then it becomes a standard shoving hand and hold for the flip.

The most important thing to remember about JJ is you have to be willing to fold when its beat. People tend to assign it the same intrinsic value as QQ or KK and it does (to a degree) as long as its not beat. If you raise on the button with JJ and the BB defends and the board comes 72Q even though JJ was ahead preflop Q3 beats you here.

If i have 18bb or less I'm pushing all in.

Depending on where position you play, and how many players before you call, raise, re-raise and how much is you need call, then what is the tournament stage you play?

Fold preflop everytime. Jacks have always let me down so at this point I try to slow play and see a flop or just fold pre because I despise them