Poker Hand Discussion -- Big Pair on a Tough Flop

In this weekly series, CardPlayer.com and the Card Player Pro poker video training site (powered by PokerSavvy Plus) are giving you a free, full-length training video. In each article, we will highlight a particularly interesting hand from that video that features unconventional play, and we will ask for your opinions on the hand.

Tell us what you think and how you’d play this week’s hand in the comments below.

Title: Learning to Bluff in Small Stakes Games Online

Coach: Andrew “Ama0330” Arnott

Video Description:

In this week’s free full-length video for Card Player Pro, poker pro Andrew “ama0330” Arnott looks at bluffing strategy in small-stakes Texas hold’em games online. Andrew teaches you how to recognize good spots to bluff your opponent. He focuses on how different flop and turn combinations can make it more or less likely for your bluff to be successful. He also shows you what tells you can look for when playing online and how to proceed if you think you might be getting bluffed!

Discussion Point:

Tough Decision with Pocket Queens

A highlight of the video comes at the 2:30 mark, when Andrew reviews a tough decision with pocket queens. In a $0.50/$1, $100 buy-in cash game, the cutoff (stack size $159.85) raises to $3.50. Andrew (stack size: $108.30) elects to reraise to $12 with Q Q. Without much hesitation, his opponent calls.

The flop comes J J 9. Andrew makes a continuation-bet of $14 into a pot of $24.50 to protect his hand. His opponent quickly throws in a raise to $28. If his opponent has a jack, Andrew will be drawing nearly dead, but if his opponent has a draw, Andrew still has the best hand. How do you think he should proceed? Should he raise, call, or fold?

Watch now to see how Andrew played his queens as part of this free full length training video.

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