Pocket Jacks in No-Limit Holdem

By Wesley R. Young

One of the most difficult starting hands to play well in no-limit holdem is pocket Jacks. They look like a strong hand when you see them, but most of the time they are hard to play after the flop. This is because the majority of the time, the flop will contain at least one Ace, King or Queen. Not to mention the times that an opponent has a higher pocket pair than you. For these reasons, most of the time you should try to win the pot before the flop or play your Jacks for set value, just like a pair of sevens, etc.

Depending on the situation and make-up of the competition, I attempt to win the pot pre-flop about 50% of the time and play for a set the other 50%. A normal pre-flop raise in most no-limit games is 3 to 4 times the big blind. When I am playing to win the pot before the flop, I will raise around 5 times the big blind. If a solid opponent re-raises me, then I may very well lay the Jacks down, but only if they are a very strong player. If I am in a game with strong opponents, I will also raise AA or KK 5 times the big blind sometimes to keep from making my play predictable. For example, if I make the raise with JJ and a strong player comes over top and I fold, I will try to set up the same situation when I have the stronger hands also. The worst situation to find yourself in is to have a solid player just call when you raise pre-flop with Jacks. When a solid player does this, I am always wary of a trap. If a player who isn’t very solid just calls, I am much less worried about being dominated. Most average players will quickly re-raise a pre-flop raise with Aces or Kings, so if this happens, I will also often fold my hand, as I don’t want to be drawing to 2 outs against a larger pair.

The times I play pocket Jacks for set value, I limp in and will call a standard raise. If my opponent and I both have deep stacks, I will even call a slightly larger than average raise, as I plan to take my opponents whole stack when I hit my Jack. Roughly one out of every eight flops will make me a set, so if I believe I can win over eight times my initial bet when I do hit my set I will call the bet. For this same reason, if a player with a short stack (less than 8 times the initial bet) raises, I may not play the hand unless the pot odds are correct.

In closing, don’t fall in love when you look down and see JJ. It will often put you in a tricky situation after the flop, especially when an Ace hits. Be prepared beforehand and you will surely improve in the long run.