This hand is very similar to the QQ hand that I posted the other day. The main difference is that I don't have a read on the opponent other than he was 20/17/7.o (very high aggression factor) over only around 250 hands.
Full Tilt Poker No Limit Hold'em - 4 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com
BB: $238.00
Hero (CO): $602.40
BTN: $1415.75
SB: $423.90
Pre Flop: Hero is CO with J
J
Hero raises to $14, BTN calls $14, 2 folds
Flop: ($34.00) 9
T
4 (2 players)
Hero bets $24, BTN raises to $72,
Same questions as the QQ hand. Does your responses change based on it being JJ and an unknown opponent with a high aggression level over a small sample? (NOTE: We are playing 4 handed b/c a couple of players are sitting out. This may change your decision.)
1. What is your play here? If you say raise, how much? What do you do if he shoves?
2. If you flat call or raise the flop (and he flat calls), what do you do on the turn if it is a blank? if it is a heart? if it is a non-heart A, K, Q, or 8?
Posts
What is your table image? Reason I ask is, if you have a very tight image, you won't often be raised here unless you're beat. If your image is on the other end of the spectrum, your opponent is probably raising you here with a much wider range of hands. He may even be doing this with nothing, so you should be comfortable getting your stack in OTF if it gets to that point.
If your image falls in the middle, or if you don't yet feel you have an image, you have to raise him to $200 and figure out where you stand. Should he come over the top for your stack, you should fold because it's likely he won't shove OTF on a stone-cold bluff after seeing you get so aggressive in response to his aggression. If he just calls the $200, with his image and stats, I'd guess you're ahead of the majority of his range.
KGBlovesOreos
2:49 PM
This would be a spot where I'd like to 3-bet and try to drag the pot, given the player's tendencies and the fact you're shorthanded. I'm not inclined to give him credit for QQ+ or a set.
This looks like a positional raise with a worse hand than yours. I would punish him right away with a re-raise. The pot size becomes $172 before you put in the raise. You have $517 behind. You can price out some draws if you raise $200 straight and have $317 behind for another big bet on the turn. If he shoves, you can decide to ship it in (which would be my default choice) or fold (with half a stack left).
Coming over the top could well pay dividends in future hands and give you the initiative in other situations where he's been blowing you off hands.
I'm shoving any blank turn card, and probably bluffing most of the scare cards. I'm inclined to put this guy to the test here.
Shrike
2:52 PM
"This looks like a positional raise with a worse hand than yours. I would punish him right away with a re-raise."
Spoken like a true aggro. Though I do see some merit, blind views like this is very dangerous considering how deep you guys are.
The problem with this hand is that the board is so draw heavy. First two comments are as if they think if they reraise, they'll take the pot down. However, what they don't realize is that if the other guy has a set or an OESD with FD, they're gonna do the same thing. Shove over the top. So, you're in the same predicament. Reraising here will give you no additional information on certain range of hands and you only get the hands that are in much worse shape than you to fold (maybe).
Having said that, in a 4 handed game against a guy that's shown that kind of AF, folding is a little too weak. I guess my honest answer is, unlike the above two, I don't really have an answer. I don't know. You can reraise here and make it $200 straight but what do you do when he shoves? Or calls? I don't know... now that I think about it, I see myself calling here and firing out on turn as long as it's not a K, Q, or 6 or a heart... damn, that's a lot of cards. I don't know. Sorry, I'm not being much help. I'm not a big fan of getting all my money in here on the flop though. If all the money goes in, either you are significantly behind or it's basically a coinflip. Maybe, if you're lucky, you're a 60-40 favorite. But that's almost best case scenario...
Alan aka RecessRampage
3:09 PM
Heh I don't know that I'm a true aggro. Look back at my remarks in the QQ hand where we advocated the same line. I think the circumstances here merit a more aggressive approach. Here, you opened for a raise preflop and got called by a very aggressive button. You have an overpair, so if you think you weren't outflopped, I think you should play this hand fast.
Shrike
3:21 PM
Reasons to fold:
1) You have $38 in the pot.
2) Such a draw heavy board - you may be ahead of a lot of draws but not by much
3) Sets aren't out of the question with 3 middle cards
4) Small risk of an overpair
5) Stacks are too deep to gamble
Fuel55
3:25 PM
Having not read the responses yet, I like to give the opinion from the low limit (ok.. micro limit) player to compare and contrast the difference in play.
To me, the biggest factors are the stack sizes and his AF. It seems both of you have been doing well here. Given that and his AF, I'm not sure I want to raise here (as I did yesterday). I'm basically looking to call and watch out for any flush card and straight card (as he did not raise PF).. Given his AF tendacies, I'm sure that he would fire another bullet and we could check raise him.
I'm curious on how often he 3-bet? I'm sure that he mixed it up; but it at least helps define the range.
So, yep, call and C/R a non flush or str8 card..
WillWonka
3:35 PM
When I have no idea what to do, I fold. This is one of those cases. If it's a tournament where you need to take chances, I'd push and hope your pair holds up.
But I have a feeling he has a big draw here, maybe even a monster draw. He might have A-10.
I do not call. No way.
So if you really want to gamble, I'd re-raise and if he pushes, that's a pretty strong show of strength and I fold.
But I don't mind a fold here. You'll have better chances. You'll probably have better chances to stack him, in fact.
Here's an interesting question: If you're holding A-A, do we still fold? And if not why not, since we're probably not worried about Q-Q or above here?
Unknown
3:41 PM
I would fold or raise big almost every time.
I'm more inclined to raise because I truly think you're in great shape against your opponent's range, especially since such an aggressive opponent would have likely 3-bet preflop with TT, 99 or even T9s preflop. But folding is a great option too because it's cheap and you don't know exactly where you stand.
An alternate line that I like to take in these kind of spots is to check-raise the flop rather than continuation bet.
Gnome
3:52 PM