3 MISTAKES To AVOID With Pocket Jacks!

[@PokerCoaching]

Is JJ the worst hand in poker?

[@craigerc713]

It's my 4th favorite hand.

[@adcscooter4517]

Absolutely JJ is the worst hand in poker. Just earlier today, I was playing 1/3 at my local casino. I raised $15 from hijack the button and small blind call. The big blind re-raises to $58. When action came back to me, I tank for about 20 seconds and fold. The flop comes 9 9 10 the remaining 3 get it all-in. The BB shows QQ, button shows A 10 off, small blind shows J9 cc. I think it was a great fold pre-flop.

[@francescoiadicicco1266]

It's just a good pocket pair and I play them like any other good pocket pair. Get ready to fold if things go fishy.

[@TheHigh-endCultivator]

I am learning, there are no good and bad hands, only good and and bad ways to play situations.

[@palamambron]

What makes JJ so hard to play is that your set of Js is often not the best hand. So often the J on the board completes another player's straight. We run into this toward the beginning of tournaments with lots of multi-player action. How many 1 and 2 gappers can benefit from a J on the board? Especially with another card on the flop between the 9 and the K (the 8 and the A could also complete a straight when opponents are holding 10,9 or Q,K). This doesn't even include the flush possibility and we know that players are trying to get into these early-level situations with suited cards.

[@dand.4498]

Wrong ways to play jacks: just calling with them; raising them; folding them.

[@AcrylicGoblin]

Getting them dealt to you...

[@wompwomp7177]

I’ll take jacks any day, 99 and 88 can be really annoying imo because they should be 3bet a lot more than I do and most likely most people do

[@joelkellam9373]

why don't u just play them like slightly better tens

[@wompwomp7177]

@@joelkellam9373 that’s how I play all my hands, kings I play like they’re slightly better queens

[@Joe_C.]

😂

[@glaubs65]

Thank you Jonathan. You are definitely the clearest, most-structured and organised poker coach out there.

[@HomeStudioBasics]

Thank you for your coaching and all the other coaches on your website. I have improved immensely to where I'm much more comfortable post-flop with premium hands as well as marginal ones. In the past, I would always try to convince myself that I needed to play a huge pot regardless, or I was always afraid of being outdrawn and unsure of what to do. The thing about poker is that each hand must be played individually according to the opponent, stacks, board texture, ranges, and tendencies. Sometimes you have to lay it down and that's okay. Other times you want to play it a bit more passively/calling when optimal and avoid bloating the pot. That's OKAY! I think people get into trouble and start spewing when they just auto-assume they need to do X in Y situation and that's a pretty huge leak.

[@davehimlin2374]

If you do standard raise preflop and get called by 2 or more players, and the flop has either a ACE- KING OR QUEEN { which is likely to happen} theres a good shot you are now behind , so one has to deicde on if they are gonna continue with JJ when another player makes a sizeable bet or are you gonna try and bluff your way to a win with your JJ that is now the worst hand.

[@Gos1234567]

Just fold could be a slight chance you’re ahead on the flop but will you be there by the river? The part where you call JJ on the ace board to a check raise is solver stuff,IRL you are toast in that spot Humans play very different to solvers,even in the triton series I rarely see the pros making crazy bluffs and calls like solvers advise

[@Ggoodlad1]

@28:00, I call Kh10h for villians hand. And yes, i know you want a range, just channeling Dnegs- lol!

[@adrianamatlack532]

Love these videos and helps so much! I have been a member of your site many times as well. One big question that I have not seen specificity answered, as I own many of your books too is this. What range do I use to 3 bet light if people are constantly opening to 8 bb and 10 bbs in 100 bb cash games? They open so big that the SPR will be very low, so I tend to call a lot more. Online people open 2x or 3x and there I 3 bet light quite a bit. I realize I should use a linear 3 bet range, but how does my opponents bet size effect my 3 betting light?

[@alexbatrez2617]

Hi love your videos been playing poker for 4 years and stupid question so why does opponents bet on all the flops but then check on the river does that mean they dont have the card or they do have it but want you to bet

[@Ggoodlad1]

Great strategy to size your bets properly to get all the chips in after a friendly river!👍

[@palamambron]

When you check the Q high flop facing a button caller and he checks back, then a 2/3 pot, turn C-bet (after an x-card turn) makes sense to me. You're saying you would have check-raised if he would've bet the flop. Using a big-size turn C-bet after a check/check on the flop takes down the hand on most of these Q-high boards. Out of position, I don't see how you can do better.

[@Trizzer89]

Always get a Q 10 flop with Jacks. Wild

[@ChrisHolloway-r7y]

Tournament last week...I was dealt JJ on the button and I was 150BB. UTG went all in for 50BB. HJ went all in with 70BB. I figured at least one had QQ or better, so I folded. BOTH turned over AQ off. At this point I figured neither would hit, and they didn't. I would have nearly doubled and knocked 2 out...oh well. Still the correct move in general.

[@tejeda7324]

Best way to play JJ is the play them like any other small pair either you flop a set or fold if any over card that comes to the board generally

[@pokersoftwarereviews5051]

Great video. One thing that wasn't addressed is what to do when someone in early position raises to 5 BB's and like 4 players call because the game is just ridiculously soft. Personally I mostly just call with JJ in this spot and set-mine, but I guess an argument can be made for squeezing. The main benefit to squeezing is that it's much easier to play overpairs when you're not going 6-ways to the flop. But the main problem with squeezing is that it reopens the action, which is often exactly what the early-position player was hoping for.

[@jaketaylor3129]

I think you can go both ways. Like you said about set mining, you cant play a big pot unless you set up if you just flat. I like a fairly balanced frequency between the two in that spot.

[@Gos1234567]

Have to squeeze there.Multi way is awful for JJ

[@pokersoftwarereviews5051]

@@Gos1234567 True, multiway is awful for pocket JJ's, but so is squeezing against trappy players who are capable of having KK in spots they shouldn't. I think player profiling is important here.

[@Gos1234567]

@@pokersoftwarereviews5051 The thing in poker is that valid arguments can be made for whatever you do 🤣 You can just set mine as you’re getting great odds but then the chance of being drawn out multi way is there !! As you say 3 betting could be nasty if someone 4 bets or shoves back!! Maybe just mix it up? For balance as they say nowadays 👍

[@pokersoftwarereviews5051]

@@Gos1234567 Ahaha, so true. I think that's why so many poker players find it hard to improve, they can always justify to themselves the way they're playing :) Very unlike chess in that regard

[@WetBandits69420]

The 2nd JJ hand is an Ez call, real draws missed and he bet when the second flush draw came in. More bluffs than value.

[@LarenzoJ]

420 like smashed, I particularly enjoyed your commentary about talking when to be checking when we are out of position. Great stuff, Jonathan :)

[@l0v3nul]

In the scenario with 60bb ok the btn vs utg rfi, why 3b with K9s, K8s and not with K7? Or Q9s but not QTs? Can someone please elaborate?

[@palamambron]

The guy with A2 of hearts has a ton of outs heading to the river. 3 aces, 2 twos, and 9 hearts (although he can't be sure that an A would win, and a 2 doesn't always win). I understand his shove too well. Not 18%, more like 30%. His shove is trying to add fold equity to his considerable draw. He may not get to even EV if you are calling with your overpairs, but it's close. Many people would fold their overpair here. I would probably fold AA and feel like I was Phil Helmuth or something. I can dodge bullets baby...by folding them. I have made so many bad call-downs with an overpair that I'm bluffable now. My turn bet would've been smaller and then I would've folded to a shove. Can I take AA out of his range because he checked back the flop? Did I ever have the best hand? This is a good example of why JJ out of position is so difficult.

[@yageroi]

Thanks!

[@Ggoodlad1]

@13:00 & 2 on the river, raise to at least 90 for value. I would've bet the turn also, selling a 10 in my hand to set up my river "bet" on a 10. 💰

[@Ggoodlad1]

His bet of 25 was WAY too weak to be realistic. What does he get to fold? Too small for value AND bluff. He would've folded to my 90 bet anyway. 😉

[@Broke_Expat]

Someone years ago told me "play JJ like it's 88"..... The general meaning was that yes you do have a decent pair, but you are not holding KK, so don't play them as if you are.... Every time I get JJ, this basic thought process comes to mind

[@kingcardbeard1471]

My last Pocket Jacks were 4 of a Kind :D

[@craigerc713]

I always get a little jigity when I look down at pocket jacks.. 😅

[@qsdailydose8970]

Jonathan 2/5 UTG opened to 20 LoJack raised it to 65 hi Jack called I 4-bet JJ on the button to 325 then UTG jams for 1180 effective. I fold man he said he had ace king. I have to call there right? And should I have just called the 3-bet? Ahh you just gave the answer

[@idonthavemonkey]

Where are these GTO charts from?

[@feedthemtopigs]

those BTN vs SB 3b ranges are certainly not gtoish, almost every GTO sim is 4betting JJ in this spot at 80%+ frequency.

[@SENSUI347]

GREAT VID ❤

[@S3CONDGLANCE]

This was very helpful.. I looked at JJ all wrong until this video

[@coreyjones7249]

18 percent with JJ vs acw 2 suited?

[@jack42011]

BIG fan of Jacks...

[@PokerRenegade]

Good video

[@mothecat776]

Hey Jonathan Little. The hand: hero: JJ board: KsJ6s84 We should bet our SET because the board is DYNAMIC. Question in our casino there is an instantaneous BONUS of $400 for quads. Is it ok to call the flop and turn?

[@capnmorgandarts]

My favorite hand with Jacks.... did I play it right? What should I have done differently?.... I was playing 2-5NL a couple weeks ago and looked down at JhJd in the CO. I can't remember pre flop action exactly, but UTG either limped or raised 3x. If he limped, then there might have been one or two more limpers behind him and I raised with JJ. If UTG raised pre-flop, then everyone folded and I called. Regardless, only UTG and I went to the flop, which was 8c3c9x. UTG bet around 30, I called. Turn comes Jc, putting a possible straight and flush out there. He checks. I bet 50, he check-raises making it 140 total. I hesitate, then call the extra 90, almost certain that I need the board to pair. River paired the board with an 8. He bet 225, leaving himself with around 150. He could have had any number of worse hands and there was only one hand that beat me (88), so I wasn't too worried, even though 88 was well within his range based on the action. I sat there for a minute and he said, "I'll show if you fold," so I immediately said "all in" with the hope that he had a worse hand that could call if he thought I was bluffing. He called it down after tanking and saying, "I feel like you have 89 and boated up, but I have to call." He mucked when I showed the boat with JJ and said, "nice hand. You had to know that I had a flush." Hard telling what he really had. So, honesty opinion, did I play it right? If not, what should I have done differently?

[@GeorgeTsampiris]

Respect

[@tenningale]

Jacks are great, but 3 hands I like better.

[@liesyandy]

What are your thoughts on how Daniel Weinman plays them? lol

[@bigj200016]

The biggest problem with JJ is they look so much better than they really are. Most runouts, unless you flip or set or better, you can easily get married to them more so than say TT. I play JJ like any other middling pocket pair. Good enough to open from any position. 3B from SB only, but that’s because I tend to play a 3B or fold strategy from SB

[@Gos1234567]

Because they are the 4th best hand they are overrated.Very tricky to play post flop which is why I prefer to 3 bet them pre and try to get heats up (against later position openers)

[@marksimpson2321]

I think a lot of people only experience poker through playing or watching late stage tournaments so they play deep stacked cash games but in a terribly poor way 😊

[@donaldshotts]

Love JJ, but can't fall in love with it in a cash game. Tournament wise though, you have to make a stand sometimes late and JJ looks pretty good, but thats a different story. Its all relative though. I'm sure some of you saw the KK QQ JJ hand in this WSOP. The eventual WSOP winner played JJ like crap imo and got lucky. You're going to shove after a raise and reraise? Maybe the first kid with KK has a wide range and the other guy was trying to isolate but still? That move is going to bite you in the @$$ with JJ way more often then not. I had KK in a $1/$3 cash game recently. Loose kid makes it $15 & I make it $44 or something weird. Folds around to this annoying calling station with $1400 in front of him or something. This guy fumbles around forever, but just keeps digging and makes it $195. Now he's calling everything, but I haven't seen him that aggressive preflop. Kid then insta-shoves whatever he had. I think for a few minutes and muck. AA for Mr Card Catcher and QQ for the kid. Of course a K hit turns the turn and I would've won a monster. Console myself with the right read atleast. Running so bad lately I hate poker)))

[@Trentberkeley86]

SMH come on Todd

[@s805m8]

The KJ2 board with JJ, I almost always check that flop. It’s a leak that I realized watching this

[@ogle-tr-122bpoker7]

Actually I have -EV in my poker graph with JJ. Is the worst hand. How someone can play preflop with JJ?🤮

[@PokerCoaching]

Properly.

[@willinnewhaven3285]

When you checked twice, maybe they are value betting a Ten,

[@MrNicePotato]

If you always lose with JJ+, fold them! Only play worse hands!

[@valentinbonchev7485]

29:05 why in this spot the villain can't have QQ, KK or AA?

[@PokerCoaching]

They just called preflop.

[@valentinbonchev7485]

@@PokerCoaching Okay that really makes sense... i wish i was like you tbh

[@danielmelville1507]

Isn’t the idea to narrow their range? Not keep it wide so you have no idea where you stand only To justify calling

[@monicamacri379]

Just got smoked rn ran into aces with my over pair to board.

[@monicamacri379]

Jacks btw

[@zendo1410]

your 3 bet is too small as a range also your range when you 3 bet as a bluff must be a hand you can play post flop so rather 3 bet bluff kx suited as a bluff why not 3 bet pairs ax suited for blockers they will do terrible if they continue against your range with like kq

[@truckermikemct1]

How ''bout those Jiggities!

[@EbonKim]

Rather than watching for 40+ minutes, just treat JJ like 1010. Your welcome.

[@conk8636]

41 minutes on fish hooks? If you watched it all you might be a degen😮.

[@jamesstevenson3116]

Nothing to think about, call the 25

[@mattymcsplatty5440]

kids are the rake of marriage

[@francescoiadicicco1266]

I love bananas. They look cuter than aces.

[@elmachinaz]

they play better if you call them "Jiggities"

[@kasperd131]

Never really watched any of your videos because they are SOO long... and now this "3 mistakes with JJ" and it's almost an hour long. Wtf😂

[@blue4life175]

Just fold em and problem solved 😬