Playing Pocket Jacks

Author: Simon Dexter

Hi,

I’ve been playing poker for a few years now and consider myself a reasonable player, which is why I want to improve and start making some serious money from the game (I already do pretty well). Here’s my problem: whenever I land pocket jacks, I’m invariably tempted to act. Is there a definitive way of playing a pair of these smiling boys – at least I think they’re smiling?

RTK
Liverpool

RTK,

IT will come as no surprise to you to hear that a pair of jacks are euphemistically referred to as ‘fishhooks’. In other words, their apparent strength is the principle reason why so many players are reeled in by them. On occasion, there’s little doubt you should lay them down pre-flop, the question is ‘when?’.

There’s the rub. As almost all experts proclaim, “it depends upon the situation in which you find yourself.” The established texts, from Brunson to Harrington and Sklansky, offer similar advice because while pocket jacks look like a very strong hand, their strength is relative and raising pre-flop under all conditions can be a mistake. As a result, they’re awkward cards to advise upon, although provided you’re aware that they’re not the best hand in the deck, perhaps using caution as your byword could reap dividends.

Tags: Online Poker, Poker Strategy, Poker Tips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 3:11 pm and is filed under Have Your Say!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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