How would you play this hand (part 2 of 3)?

Question

You're in a live, community-sponsored MTT with a $75 buy-in, starting with 3000, ~70 people.

Blinds are up to 100/200, just under 50 people are still in, pays to 8. 9 players at your table. Tournament chip leader is over 12000.

Your table image is aggressive, but not too loose; you still fold more than you play, but not by a lot. Table's been generally quiet, with a healthy mix of raising and calling, most hands seeing a raise preflop, only a few hands making it to the river. There hasn't been much all-in activity, other than Seat 1 just taking a hit last hand for most of his chips to Seat 9, who used to be the short stack.

You get dealt JcJs UTG, and you bet 800.

Relevant stacks …

You (UTG) – 3900 … Bet 800

Seat 7 – 8100 … Calls 800

Seat 1 (SB) – 625 … Calls all-in

Seat 2 (BB) – 2600 … Calls 800

Flop is 10h Qs 7h.

Main pot is 2500, side pot is 525

BB checks.

What do you do?

Answer 1

Out of position, and with one player all in, I'd probably opt to check because I don't know what seat 7 will do yet.  While its still fairly early in the tournament to check it down with a player all in, you really don't know where you stand, and betting the rest of the players off the hand doesn't guarantee you'll win it.  I'd check the flop because there is almost as much money in the pot now as your stack, making it tough to make a decent sized bet without moving almost all your chips in.  I'd probably wait until the turn and see what happens, after seeing what seat 7 does.

Answer 2

This flop is so bad for you in so many ways, not even taking into account that you have 4 players in the pot and one of them has you covered. I think you could go ahead and fire out a test bet but that would really put you out there if you get a re-raise behind you in this spot. There are a lot of draw and if you fire out here you are going to get called in most spots, or you may even get moved in, and that's not what we want here at all. I think we check and let the hand go if you have any real action here at all. You might be able to call a small bet, but you are in a bad spot to come along since so many cards on the turn kill your hand, if your not beat already on the flop. By even just prob betting you may get pot committed here, you only have 3100 on the flop and a test bet of 1200 puts you pot committed. So check fold here hand over...

Answer 3

My gut says

55% chance that j's are probably the best hand at the moment and everybody else has either lower pairs or a combination of overcards or over/undercards that haven't paired yet,

25% chance that somebody paired a Queen (of possible holdings calling an all-in, Q x is less likely than A x or K x), however given the preflop betting, KQ, AQ, or QJs or QTs is a likely hand to call.

10% Somebody is probably on a flush or straight draw

5% Somebody flopped a monster like two pair or trips or somebody is slowplaying K's or A's.

What all of these things are telling me is that I MUST bet to define my hand, at least 25% of the current pot. What will probably happen:

Raisers: either hit the queen or trips, and also need to chase out other flush draws. Probably need to fold here.

Callers: Slowplaying a monster or on the draw. Play carefully, particularly if they've previously shown a tendency to trap. Worst case scenario here would be AQ of hearts.

Folders: my jacks are probably best and they don't have hearts. The best case scenario.

All in's: particularly if the big stack goes all in, this would smell like a pure bluff. If any other stack does, however, I would have to fold because they must have either a queen or a flush draw.

Ideally, this would chase out everybody else except me and the first all-in caller. However, if anybody called or raised, I would be forced to check it down or fold.

But, there's another key consideration here: Your M. At an M of 13, you are in deep trouble, and should have bet your jacks much more strongly or weakly. Your chances of beating 3 callers is pretty much nil.  By only calling the BB, you could have gotten out of the hand cheaply. Therefore, as damage control, you should just check the hand down and not risk your tourney life on a possible flush draw, straight draw, higher pocket pair, etc. Now though, your M will be only 10, and you are in serious jeopardy in the tourney. If the blinds go to 150-300 the next hand, your M will shrink to around 7.

So, in essence, because you misplayed the jacks out of position preflop, they're pretty much a losing proposition now vs 3 players. Try to stay in the hand cheaply if possible, fold at any signs of strength, and don't try to push. Put a bet on the end if no hearts, aces or connectors come on the turn or river. You can try to push, but your bad position might cost you your entire stack.

Answer 4

I don't know

Answer 5

I think you should follow the generally accepted "rule" of playing to an all-in pot and check.  You're hoping the other players know this "rule" and will check behind you.  

As a refresher:  If you are in a multiway pot and a player is all-in, it's customary to check down the remainder of the hand (unless you've got the stone-cold nuts) so that your bet doesn't drive out a hand that may beat the all-in when yours might not.  

That being said, if you check and someone behind you makes a bet of 500 or less you should call.  You're getting pretty good pot odds to continue and you're not risking a large chunk of your stack yet.  If the bet is any larger you should seriously consider folding--it's costing you too much at that point.

Answer 6

I think I check.

If someone has a queen, you are toast.  If you have to fold them, you still have some chips.  I'm not sure that taking a stand now is going to help anything.  Not in this situation.

There is always the hope that everyone will check it down to the river just to knock out the short stack.  In which case you might get lucky and win the hand.

If you push all in here (and anything less than that with your stack doesn't make much sense here), you will probably get called by any queen, or any two hearts.

So all in all I don't like this opportunity to take a stand, not with that over card out there and two cards to come.

Answer 7

if small blind was agrasively playing then i will call it all in. because the chance is small blind dont have any thing.

Answer 8

I would check and see how the other players respond.... I think seat 7 would not risk much of his stack on a bluff and would only bet big if he was trying to push everyone out with the best hand......seat 2 would not risk his stack into an empty side pot if he did not think he had everyone beat.... I think you check and see how all other players play it.... and pay close attention to the all in guy... he might give you a tell to whether of not he has a decent hand or not.... if not... you could possibly bet the turn if you think you have the best hand.

Good luck at the tables...........

Answer 9

Check it down and try to knock the all in guy out.

Answer 10

this is a very interesting situation...i think i would check here, while you rate to have the best hand you are still vulnerable, and the last thing you want to do is knock out hands that would eliminate the all-in player...also, there are two other players competing in the side pot with you, and considering the pot size your only play would be to go all-in, so it doesn't make any sense at all to make a stand and risk being knocked out yourself

Answer 11

There is a Q on the board, possibly making my J's useless so I would check.  If everybody checks, I would make a small bet on the turn, assuming it wasn't an overcard or it paired one of the cards on the board.  In that case I would check again.  If someone makes a large bet I would have to fold those jacks, you have guess that if there is a huge bet someone either made a set or in case of a big card they paired their A or K.  Either way you are in a tough situation and considering all those calls they all have high cards.