PokerCoaching.com Quiz: Top Pair On Monotone Board

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You are playing eight-handed in a $525 buy-in tournament nearing the money bubble. The blinds are at 1,000-2,000 with a big blind ante of 2,000. Everyone folds to the hijack who raises to 4,000 out of a stack of 82,431. It folds to you in the small blind with A J with a total of 105,116. It is worth noting that the big blind has 29,174. 

Question 1: Should you fold, call, reraise to 14,000, or go all-in?

Answer: This hand provides two decent options. Calling manages the size of the pot while you are out of position, but it also gives the big blind excellent pot odds.
Reraising with a decently strong hand is also a valid option because it applies ICM pressure to your opponents while also building the pot. The only problem with reraising is it gives the initial raiser the chance to four-bet all-in, forcing you to fold.
Folding and going all-in are not good options. 

You decide to call this time, as does the big blind. You go three-way to the flop of J 8 3 with a pot size of 14,000. You and the big blind check, and the hijack bets 4,459.

Question 2: Should you fold, call, or raise to 15,000?

Answer: Top pair, top kicker is normally a premium hand, but it is far weaker on a monotone board. While it may be tempting to raise for value and protection, when you get called, you will find that you are usually against either a better made hand or a high-equity draw. So, call and see what develops on the turn.

You call and the big blind folds. The turn is the 9 and you both check. The river is the 6 and the pot stands at 22,918.

Question 3: Should you check, bet 10,000, bet 15,000, or bet 25,000?

Answer: Your top pair, top kicker is certainly good enough to bet for value because if your opponent had a better hand, they would usually keep betting on the turn. Both 10,000 and 15,000 bets are strong options because they can get called by numerous worse hands. Betting 25,000, a bit larger than the size of the pot, is too big of a bet that will force most worse hands to fold.

Checking is only a good option if you think your opponent will bluff with numerous hands that cannot win at the showdown. 

You opt to check this time and give your opponent a chance to bluff. Unfortunately for you, the hijack checks and shows A 4 for a busted flush draw.

With your opponent’s hand containing the A, bluffing is certainly a strong option. Even though you won the pot, you could have won a lot more if your opponent got frisky and decided to blast either the turn or the river. ♠

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