Playing Jacks and Tens

Introduction

In this article

• The difficulties of playing jacks and tens
  
• Is a preflop 3-bet always for value?
  
• How you play in tough situations postflop
  

Although the starting hands jacks and tens usually look good, they will confront you with big problems in many situations. There are hardly any preflop or postflop situations in which they are easy to play, since you will rarely know where exactly you stand with them.

In the long run, it is these tough spots that decide whether you are playing profitably or investing your money in the wrong spots too often. It is at least just as bad to skip value bets or fold the best hand.

This article will illustrate a few basic ideas about these two starting hands.

General problems

What are the general problems that you face with these hands?

• You can never be sure that you have the best hand preflop.
• The phrase "Basically too strong for a call, but at the same time too weak to go broke" applies to this hand more than it does to most others.
• You will often run into over-cards postflop and therefore end up in difficult situations.

The situation gets dangerous as soon as there is aggression preflop. The primary problem spot looks like this:

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
Hero ($100)
BU ($100) (unknown)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BU raises to $10.50, 2 folds, Hero...

Now what?

You can't make any major assumptions about your opponent, so you don't know how often and what kind of hands he 3-bets and how he might react to a possible 4-bet.

What possibilities do you theoretically have?

• Fold
• Call
• 4-bet/broke

Folding is a legitimate alternative here. Of course it will look weak and you will be folding the best hand in many spots, but you simply don't have any other choice than to compare this option to the others.

And this is where it becomes more complicated. A call might look tempting, perhaps you won't isolate yourself against a small range and might be able to achieve something postflop. But is that really the case?

In theory, calling would be an option. However, it is generally bad to call a 3-bet out of position with regular stack sizes. You will barely be able to handle such spots postflop without position, without the initiative and on top of that with an easily vulnerable hand.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
Hero ($100)
BU ($100) (unknown)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BU raises to $10.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $10.50

Flop: ($22.50) (2 players)
Hero...

What do you do here?

It's almost impossible to say how you should play here. Could you donk, check/call or maybe check/fold? It doesn't help you much that your opponent has a wide range here. If you call a bet on the flop, your hand has already turned into a bluff catcher on the turn. A weaker hand will rarely value bet.

Now you might think to yourself that there will not always be an over-card. We would like to refer you to an article on the topic: Probabilities in Texas Hold'em.

This means: With pocket jacks you will still have an over-pair on the river in every 4th case...but this of course doesn't mean that it is also the best hand.

With pocket tens it is only the case in every 8th case...not very good prospectives.

The conclusion from this: Extremely difficult spots, almost impossible to judge. Many good players generally recommend to call only few to zero 3-bets out of position.

The word "broke" comes right after the word 4-bet. Please don't ever consider playing 4-bet/fold with a hand such as pocket jacks or pocket tens. This would be a bluff and you wouldn't need this starting hand for that. In addition to that, such a bluff will barely work, since there is pretty much no better hand that would fold (chances are slim that any other player will play 3-bet/fold with QQ+).

Therefore you are willing to go broke if your opponent decides to push. What will he push with?

Let's assume a tight range consisting of: QQ+/AK

Alright, this is not really ideal, but you had probably expected this result before.

Let's assume a looser range for the next case: 99+/AQo+/AJs+

Of course your equity has improved, but it's still not very impressive.

And even against a very loose range (which you can't automatically assume without any indication) of 66+/A9s+/KQs/ATo+/KQo, you are not a big favourite:

When you look at these numbers and come to the conclusion that most opponents will have the first range, you need to justify why 4-bet/broke is better than folding here.

Fold equity and balancing

Even if it sounds strange, it is not a mistake to create fold equity with pocket jacks. Of course: Better hands will hardly ever or maybe even never fold. But you will get many hands to fold that have decent equity against you, such as AQ or KQ.

The reason why 4-bet/broke will be profitable in the long term is not because you go broke against the first range above and put it all-in with an equity of 36%, but because your opponent will fold a major part of the hands in his range.

And this is where balancing comes into play: If you don't call any 3-bets out of position preflop, how do you react to frequent 3-bets?

There is a phrase for this: "If you can't go broke with pocket jacks preflop, you are not 3-betting and 4-betting enough."

This sentence is to be treated with caution, but it should encourage you to put some more thought into the matter (find more details about this further below under "Future EV"). An optimal game with these starting hands also depends on your overall game. If you never bluff 4-bet for example and are up against a thinking player, he will know what your 4-betting range is. He might even fold AK then. Here it will be difficult for you to profitably play pocket tens or even pocket jacks.

However, if you 4-bet a lot and have therefore lost a lot of credit in this regard, you can find a clear value 4-bet here, since your opponent simply has to go broke more loosely. You have to consider this issue in your game, since it is not only about your opponent, but also about the image he might have of you at the tables.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero raises to $10.50, 2 folds, CO raises to $25.00, Hero...???

If you ask yourself what to do now, you have already made a mistake since you should have asked this question before making the 3-bet.

For many players these starting hands are automatically a 3-bet and only afterwards they think about what to do next. But why do they 3-bet in the first place? “Guess it's supposed to be for value, a bluff is not really possible here."

But is it a clear value 3-bet?

Value 3-bet means that you assume that either a weaker range will go broke against you or that a weaker range will call against you (it doesn't play any role in this context that you are ahead against his open-raising range).

What is a player supposed to call here? Also look back to the problem illustrated earlier: Many players won't call any 3-bets whatsoever when out of position.

When you are facing such players it is absolutely clear that you have to expect a fold or a 4-bet. However, if you want to fold to the 4-bet, where will you get value from?

Which range would your opponent have to call?

These are the hands that your opponent would have to call so that you could make the narrow decision: "It's for value."

Opinions diverge significantly when it comes to this topic. Many players think that you should never play such hands 3-bet/fold with regular stack sizes. They consider this a kind of bluff, as indicated further above.

Other however think that this play is possible if the read on your opponent reliably tells you that Villain calls 3-bets very loosely, but only rarely 4-bets.

It is important to work on your skills here: Are you really able to make correct assumptions about this?

In the end it is a vicious cycle: If you assume that the player calls 3-bets out of position a lot, but doesn't 4-bet much, he is not playing like a regular TAG. However, if he displays a different playing style, it will be much more difficult to make assumptions about ranges and to play according to reads.

If you consider a call, you will start feeling uncomfortable: "I do have a good pocket pair, the call is much too weak."

Find a better alternative and go for it. If you can't, you don't have to justify your call.

It's not a call for set value. This is only the case if you give yourself good implied odds and think that you can profitably call a small pocket pair preflop, as long as you only start action on the flop if you hit.

Of course this is not possible with pocket tens and pocket jacks, these hands will usually still be too strong for this postflop.

What are the disadvantages of a call?

• You will often see over-cards postflop.
• You are running against a range that is difficult to assess.
• It is very difficult to judge where you actually stand.

But there are always two sides of the same coin. What are the benefits?

• You keep the pot small.
• Postflop you will usually have a decent hand (such a middle pair is often the best hand against a wide range).
• Postflop you can still hit a set and extract value.
• You don't isolate yourself against a strong broke range if you play 3-bet/broke.
• You don't turn your hand into a bluff if you play 3-bet/fold.
• You could call for squeeze induce if there are aggressive players still to act behind you.

This does not mean that you should always call these hands, but do get rid of the idea that you must always 3-bet them, this is not the case. A number of examples further below will illustrate this.

The squeeze

The squeeze is a nice weapon to heat up preflop play. Your opponent will also often use it against you and you will be facing quite a difficult decision.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
3 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, SB calls $3.00, BB raises to $13.00, Hero...???

If you don't have any reads or other hints, this is a tough spot. A call is generally not ideal here, especially with the small blind in the pot, a 3-handed flop would be far from pleasant.

A 4-bet would be another option, although for this it would be good to know that the big blind is able to make rather light squeezes and that he is willing to go brooke loosely. Especially in such a BU vs. BB situation, you will barely be able to get out of such a hand.

If you are the one who made the squeeze, it should be your goal to go broke as well. Squeeze/fold with hands such as jacks and tens is bad play, even if the call could bring about some problems postflop if you have to play in a multi-way pot.

Unfortunately you can't have it all.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (TAG)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (Rock)
BB ($100) (Calling station)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero...

In this example you find a pretty clear call. You don't think it is likely that the TAG can call 3-bets out of position. Even if he does, the range doesn't have to be much worse in the equity comparison to TT.

Behind you, the rock will rarely start any action. If the calling station gets involved, this is not very bad either.

If you decide to make a 3-bet, you will run into problems if the cut-off 4-bets. You would need reads here that tell you that this player 4-bets extremely lightly and also goes broke with more marginal hands. In that case, you could consider playing 3-bet/broke.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (Loose-passive)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (Rock)
BB ($100) (TAG)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero...

This time you think that the player in the cut-off could call many hands to a 3-bet. That's why you could definitely consider the option "3-bet". If you are facing an opponent for example, who hardly folds any hands to 3-bets, but 4-bets very rarely, this would be a spot where you could consider 3-bet/folding.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (Rock)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (LAG)
BB ($100) (Maniac)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero...

In this situation you have a clear call. Against the rock it is impossible to 3-bet for value, but there are players behind you who are just waiting to squeeze. Give them the chance to do so.

If the squeeze is coming from the blinds, you can 4-bet and finish the business preflop. However, you will also get more information about the rock.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (Rock)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (LAG)
BB ($100) (Maniac)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero calls $3.00, 1 fold, BB raises to $14.00, CO raises All-in, Hero...

If the rock decides to raise again here, your hand is lost and you can find an easy fold. You are getting this additional piece of information for free. If there is no squeeze, you will be playing heads-up in position again - there are worse things than that.

Out of position after 3-bets: Examples

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
Hero ($100)
BU ($100) (TAG / 5% 3-bet BU)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BU raises to $10.50, 2 folds, Hero...

A 3-betting frequency of 5% is not that much on the button. The range looks as follows: TT+, AJs+, KQs, AQo+. It only contains few to zero bluff 3-bets.

Your equity against this is as follows:

The most sensible thing to do here is to fold, even if it hurts.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
Hero ($100)
BU ($100) (LAG / 13% 3-bet BU)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BU raises to $10.50, 2 folds, Hero...

A 3-bet stat of 13% however is quite a high number. A major part of Villain's hands will be bluffs (semi-bluffs) that have equity against you, but will hardly ever go broke.

However, if someone 3-bets in 13% of cases, he also has to expect more frequent 4-bets. Therefore, even weaker hands will be willing to go broke, such as TT/99 or broadways. On top of that, some players will make bluff pushes (one example of this could be A5s, only four combinations).

His 3-betting range: 99+, 22-33, A9s+, A5s-A3s, KTs+, QJs, T8s, 97s, 86s, 75s+, 65s, AQo+, A5o-A4o, KQo

His estimated broke range:

In spots like this you will rarely be in a losing position, you can definitely 4-bet/broke here. A fold however would be a mistake against his wide ranges.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold' em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
Hero ($100)
BU ($100) (Rock / 3% 3-bet BU)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (Calling station)

Preflop: Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, BU raises to $10.50, 1 fold, BB calls $10.50, Hero...

You have absolutely no chance against the range of the rock. You should usually fold here, however the calling station also gets involved. This is a spot in which you could call for set value. You have to pay another $7.50 here, but get implied odds of almost two stacks.

A call is definitely an option here, however further action postflop is only possible if the third jack appears.

After 3-bets in position: Examples

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (TAG / 8% 3-bet BB)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
3 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, 1 fold, BB raises to $10.50, Hero...

In position you always have the option of calling, in contrast to when you are out of position. The advantages and disadvantages have been illustrated before: If you call, you won't isolate yourself against a polarised value/bluffing range, but the downside is that you will often be confronted with dangerous boards. 

In this spot, it won't make much of a difference whether you call or 4-bet.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (LAG / 12% 3-bet BB)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
3 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, 1 fold, BB raises to $10.50, Hero...

Here you should rather make a 4-bet. Always keep in mind: If you really go all-in preflop, you will need a wide range against you.

If the player makes a 2-digit 3-bet, he will be confronted with 4-bets more frequently and is forced to go broke more loosely, especially when battling for the blinds. If you therefore play 4-bet/broke here, you will rarely make a mistake.

Nevertheless, you are also playing in position here, a call is therefore a possible alternative.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (TAG / ft3-bet 69%)
BU ($100)
SB ($100) (Rock)
Hero ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BB with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, 1 fold, SB calls $3.00, Hero?

In this case you should refrain from making a squeeze. You can hardly ever assume that it would be for value. Your two opponents will fold a lot here, and should they show resistance and 4-bet, you have a problem. This situation even raises doubt about the rule not to squeeze/fold, since you will usually be the big underdog. Therefore you should only call here.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (LAG / ft3-bet 55%)
BU ($100)
SB ($100) (Calling station)
Hero ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, 1 fold, SB calls $3.00, Hero?

This however is a squeeze spot. Your hand is a bit stronger, on top of that it is definitely possible that the cut-off is raising with bluff hands or with weaker hands.

The small blind is a passive player here, he might even find a call with weaker hands. It's a good spot for a value squeeze/broke play.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (Rock)
BB ($100) (TAG / 5%3-bet BB)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
3 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, SB calls $3.00, BB raises to $13.00, Hero...

Here you are up against a rather small range once again. In Example 9 you already saw how you fare against a 3-betting range of 5%.

If you can have your opponent's squeeze stat displayed, you can interpret that this opponent likes to exploit these spots. However, you should not overrate them. A player who generally doesn't 3-bet a lot will not squeeze too often either.

Folding is probably the best choice in this spot.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100) (TAG)
BB ($100) (LAG / 11%3-bet BB)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
3 folds, Hero raises to $3.00, SB calls $3.00, BB raises to $13.00, Hero...

You fare much better against this range of the big blind, and don't have too worry too much about how you fare against his broke range either. He will bluff 3-bet a lot here and also push with weaker or bluff hands if you defend yourself against his squeeze with a 4-bet.

Since folding would be too weak and calling doesn't seem to be ideal in a potential multi-way pot, 4-bet/broke won't be a mistake here.

Future EV

The future EV is a factor that you should take into consideration when you are playing with these hands.

Earlier on in the text you already saw the phrase "If you can't go broke with pocket jacks preflop, you are not 3-betting and 4-betting enough." 

This sentence is not set in stone, but it is related to the future EV.

The easiest example: You never bluff, except for one spot. In this spot you 3-barrel a draw and get called down. Of course this is annoying, since you considered the bluff to be +EV and were sure you could create enough fold equity.

It didn't work out though, the opponent called you down and you are at the showdown with 7-high.

However, this is not a bad thing. The opponents now see that you are able to bluff, although you usually don't do this. Your bets are value bets most of the time, but your opponents will now think that you are Mr Bluff himself. Therefore, they will give you less credit for your barrels in the future, and that's definitely good for you.

Similar things can be said about the preflop game. If you only go broke with QQ+/AK, you might fare better EV-wise, but every opponent who uses stats will be able to notice this sooner or later.

They assume that AK and QQ are the worst hands that you will go broke with. Since they will be able to adapt to that, an all-in with AK/QQ will suddenly no longer be profitable, since none of your opponents will go broke with jacks or lower. Even AK won't be particularly profitable against you in this situation.

And this is where the whining starts: I always run into kings or aces preflop. Or: I never get all-in with my very strong starting hands.

And in this case, the above sentence applies: You don't 3-bet and 4-bet often enough, you are easy to read, your opponents are able to make correct estimations about your range. The only solution: Expand your ranges or go broke more loosely.

If you also want to go all-in with other hands in order to make it more difficult for your opponents to read you, what would you prefer? Making bluff pushes with A5o or 67s or going all-in with hands such as JJ/TT?

Naturally you won't be the favourite with a hand such as TT when you really do go all-in, but you will usually have an equity of 36%-37%.

On top of that, you win a lot with your hands when your opponents fold to your 3-bets, 4-bets and pushes. And eventually, the future EV comes into play. If you go all-in with pocket tens preflop, your opponents will give you much less credit for your preflop aggression and you will be able to go broke with a hand such as QQ much more comfortably again in the future.

Especially when it comes to preflop all-ins, your opponents usually pay close attention. They are also often insecure as to how they should play their good hands. That's why a note such as "Pre broke with TT / A8o" is much easier to make than to check with what hands Villain 1 calls three value bets against Villain 2 on a dry board. If there is an all-in, the situation is more likely to be observed closely and the note comes off the hand more easily.

In the end, this is not a chief argument for why you should go broke more loosely with these hands, but it is one puzzle piece in your overall game. If people assume that you go broke "too loosely" with these hands preflop, it will be much easier for you to get paid off with hands such as aces or kings.

Postflop

We will only briefly talk about postflop play in this article. There are many possibilities to hit boards, you might be in a raised or in a 3-bet pot, you have an over-pair, a middle pair, a set or a draw, you play against many different opponents.

It is impossible to sum up good postflop play in one article.

However, we want to give you some basic ideas relevant to your mindset when it comes to playing such hands, especially in case of a preflop cold call:

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero calls $3.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($7.50) (2 players)
CO bets $5.00, Hero...

Postflop means postflop. You have to be aware of this at all times.

Why did you call preflop? You wanted to keep your opponent's range open, not isolate yourself and not make the pot unnecessarily big. Postflop you are confronted with a decent flop, a regular continuation bet, and you find a crystal clear call.

You didn't call for set value preflop, folding the flop because you didn't hit your set is not an option at all.

It wasn't a preflop slowplay either, to play raise/broke on this flop is definitely overplayed. It should also be clear that raise/fold with an over-pair will nearly never be a sensible option.

You therefore have to evaluate your hand from scratch after the flop and play it accordingly.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (TAG)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero calls $3.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($7.50) (2 players)
CO bets $5.00, Hero..?

It wasn't meant to be. The flop is quite bad for you, you don't know much about your opponent besides the fact he is displaying TAG tendencies. What would you do if confronted with a 2nd or even a 3rd barrel?

What doesn't play a role at all is that you had a good starting hand preflop. Now you only have a 3rd pair and no clue where you stand.

Note: This doesn't have to be a standard fold. If you decide to call here, it could be because...

• …you know that your opponent has a wide preflop range.
• …he would contibet any 2 on this flop.
• …you are able to make reliable estimations about his turn play.
• …you know that he might even fold Ax hands every now and then (you opt for a bluff).

Not a reason to call is: "...but I have pocket jacks!“

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (LAG)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero raises to $10.50, 2 folds, CO calls $10.50

Flop: ($22.50) (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $13.00, CO raises to $35.00, Hero...

The old rule “An over-pair in 3-bet pots is almost impossible to fold" applies here.

There are hardly any spots in No Limit Hold'em that can be generalised. And of course there are many types of over-pairs (or top pairs) in 3-bet pots. Since you have already put much thought into your preflop play, you can specify the question further: "If I don't want to go broke with my over-pair on this flop, why did I 3-bet in the first place?"

It's always possible that your opponent is trapping here, but bluffs and weaker hands are also possible. In 3-bet pots you should not lean towards tough folds.

Even without any fold equity you would need an equity of around 34% in the above spot. How loosely would Villain have to raise/call?

Equity analysis
Board
	Equity	Win	Split	Loss	Hand
Player 1	34.72%	32.93%	3.57%	63.5%
Player 2	65.29%	63.5%	3.57%	32.93%	TT+, , ,

Only TT as a weaker hand as well as three semi-bluffs with AK combinations and you are already committed to the pot.

Of course it would be better if the range was wider, you would have to take out a few traps here, such an opponent will not want to trap 100% of his AA/KK. You can eliminate half of the traps from the list (representative example: all KK combos).

Equity analysis
Board
	Equity	Win	Split	Loss	Hand
Player 1	41.9%	39.62%	4.55%	55.83%
Player 2	58.1%	55.83%	4.55%	39.62%	AA, TT-QQ, , ,

Against such players, an over-pair with jacks or with tens is usually much too good to fold.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (TAG)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero raises to $10.50, 2 folds, CO calls $10.50

Flop: ($22.50) (2 players)
CO checks, Hero...

This is one of the spots in which there is not much you can do right. Every little read on your opponent is helpful here.

Your options are limited: If you bet on the flop, the main purpose is to collect the dead money. You finish the spot here and acknowledge that most of the hands in his range that he will fold are weaker hands.

In rather few cases it will be a value bet, of course hands such as TT/99/88/78s etc. could also find a call here (if they are in his range that is), but you won't fare very well against his calling range, which on top of that will include many Ax hands as well as KK/QQ.

What's left to consider is the check behind, but then you need to ask yourself what you have to expect on later streets.

PartyPoker $100 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (TAG)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)

Preflop: Hero is BU with
2 folds, CO raises to $3.00, Hero raises to $10.50, 2 folds, CO calls $10.50

Flop: ($22.50) (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($22.50) (2 players)
CO bets $13.00, Hero ...

Time to think back to the beginning of the article: 3-bets are called less frequently out of position.

Loose calls for set value are rare and suited connectors or suited aces are played even less often. These hands depend on their playability and the possibility to make good (semi) bluffs. Both of this is rarely the case in a 3-bet pots out of position and without the initiative.

If such a player calls a 3-bet out of position, this will primarily be traps (AA, AK), good hands that are trying to play cautiously (AK, QQ/JJ) and a couple of other hands where Villain is not sure how to play them, but still wants to see the flop (AQ, KQ, TT/99).

Against this range the decision was already borderline before the flop:

The situation postflop looks worse:

In order to call the turn here, you have to know a few things about your opponent, especially about his river play. Could he try to bluff here and then give up? Could he also barrel the river? And if so, how often will it be bluffs or value hands?

You won't gain anything if you happen to get a bluff from KQ, but in the end pay off every better hand. This will be -EV.

It is clear however that these spots are very marginal and it is very difficult to play +EV here. It should be your goal to make as few mistakes as possible. If you cannot make estimations about what the opponent might have here, and what he might barrel on the turn and on the river, the line bet/fold flop is most likely not going to be a big mistake.

Summary

As you have seen, you are walking a thin line with hands such as jacks and tens. Preflop, a 3-bet is for value in some cases, but that's rarely a crystal clear decision. Postflop you will often hit boards that make your hand worse or limit your payout, respectively.

Many examples illustrated that the decision between increasing aggression and playing cautiously is often borderline.

Always keep in mind that when you play these hands cautiously, it mainly means that you want to defer the action to after the flop, where you should then try to play an ideal game. This means: no call for set value and no slow playing.

If you have a decent hand, but can't make a clear value 3-bet, then you simply shouldn't.

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