Poker Hand Discussion -- What Would You Do With Jacks?

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.

Video Title: Winning the Sunday Million

Coach: Sam “Siola” Iola

Video Description

In this week’s free, full-length poker strategy video for Card Player Pro, poker professional Sam “Siola” Iola reviews his recent first-place finish in the PokerStars Sunday Million tournament for $185,000. Sam gives us hand-by-hand analysis of his play throughout the tournament and explains his strategy for the early, middle, and late stages of a big buy-in tournament. This video focuses on his middle-stage play, just after the money bubble has burst and all of the players have reached the money.

Discussion Point:

What to do with Jacks?

A highlight of the video comes at the 16:52 mark, when Sam reviews an interesting spot with a pair of jacks. With the blinds at 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante, the table folded around to Sam, who min-raised with J J from the cutoff. With a strong hand, Sam chose a small raise to keep weaker hands in the pot and entice re-steals from the shorter-stacked players left to act. The table folded to the big blind, who called the additional 5,000. Sam had approximately 110,000, which his opponent covered. There are now 27,000 in the pot.

The flop came Q 9 5, giving Sam second pair to the board.

The big blind checked, and Sam checked behind with his jacks for pot control.

The turn brought the Q, and the big blind led out for 11,111 into a pot of 27,000.

With several flush draws and straight draws on the board, Sam figured his jacks were too strong to fold just yet, so he called.

The river brought the 9, putting two pair on board. His opponent thought for a second and checked.

What do you think Sam should do with his two jacks? Should he just check and take a free showdown? Should he put in a small bet and try to get called by worse? Should he make a big bet as a bluff and try to get his opponent to fold something strong?

Watch now to see how Sam played his Jacks as part of this free, full-length training video.

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