You make the call

[billiken99]

A hand from last night. 36 dollar touney with almost 500 players.

Early in the tourney and stack is up about 20% 2500 chips. Loose table so I have only played a few hands and picked up most my increase on a kq suited where I hit the K against a q.

I have J9 suited mid position with one caller. I call, and there are 5 callers. Flop comes out J89 rainbow. Top 2 pair. FIrst player checks, I make 4X pot raise, 450 and I get one caller and then the button goes all in and the BB instantly calls. I have one covered but not the BB.


WHat do you think they have? and do you call with pot odds giving you a chance to triple up?

I'll post what I did and what they had after a few responses, and you can tell me what you think?

[Solo83]

2 pair is probably not good there. Someone likely has a set of 8s, and someone else is probably a Negreanu fan and thus playing 10 7 and flopped the straight. With that many callers, someone has a Ten somewhere. I'd say you're beat, but I'm a donkey, so I'd probably end up calling hoping to make a boat if I am behind.

[saygoodbye]

2 pair is probably not good there. Someone likely has a set of 8s, and someone else is probably a Negreanu fan and thus playing 10 7 and flopped the straight. With that many callers, someone has a Ten somewhere.

What this guy said. The button may have AA or KK, but the BB would have to have you beat to come in over the top of the button. I can't imagine one of the two doesn't have two pair beat.

[KPSumms]

I agree with solo - with 6 playing the hand, chances are someone flopped a set or even the straight. With 450 bet, one caller, and two all ins, I would assume one of the other three has to have a set and one has an overpair. Into the muck goes top 2 pair.

[Tim McKernan]

What this guy said. The button may have AA or KK, but the BB would have to have you beat to come in over the top of the button. I can't imagine one of the two doesn't have two pair beat.

Echoed.

[Tim McKernan]

For the record, I've got one of them on a set and one of them on QT.

It's also possible...if you have a real donk festival going on...that the first guy had JT.

That's a laydown.

[saygoodbye]

For the record, I've got one of them on a set and one of them on QT.

It's also possible...if you have a real donk festival going on...that the first guy had JT.

That's a laydown.

Without knowing the table, I had the button on a high pocket pair trying to steal a decent pot with all undercards on the board. I think the BB has a set of 8s though.

[Solo83]

What this guy said. The button may have AA or KK, but the BB would have to have you beat to come in over the top of the button. I can't imagine one of the two doesn't have two pair beat.Anyone who has AA or KK and lets 6 people see the flop in an un-raised pot DESERVES to lose.

[Doug Fieselman]

We need some more information in order to provide a quality answer:
- what were the villain's stacks?
- what are the villain's images? Have you seen them make moves? Have they been pretty solid/conservative or have they been involved in a lot of pots? Have they been aggressive or passive in those pots?

With the information at hand... its a difficult decision. You could be up against a made straight, a straight draw, a set, or a top pair good kicker (QJ, KJ, sort of hands). You are ahead of the draws and top pair hands, but with an all-in raise and an insta-call, the value of your two pair shrinks. I think one of them has a J with a draw to the straight, and one of them has a draw to the straight. I'm a total nit (re: pansy) and I fold here. If the BB hadn't insta-called I would go in the tank and probably call, but against 2 opponents I fold, take a note on what these guys went AI with and look for a better spot.

Preflop, J9s is not (generally) a strong hand to play from middle position. If you are going to play it, come in for a raise and isolate the limper. Raising gives you more options to win: win pre-flop (which would be great for J9s); win on the flop with a cbet (whether you hit or not as villain will have to hit a hand to continue); hit the flop hard and win at a showdown. When you limp, you pretty much have to hit your hand to win and it makes it harder to put your opponents on a hand and you end up with difficult post-flop decisions.

[billiken99]

Well

I thought the BB probably hit the straight and the caller had AJ. I was half right. The caller had J8, for a lesser 2 pair, and the BB had 7 10. I figured he had hit a BB special. I was pretty sure there wasn't a set as no one raised pre-flop. BUT with it only costing my 1500 to possibly make over 6400 chips I figured, it worth my call. (any of you math geniuses can probably tell me my faulty logic) I really hadn't played long enough to know if these were tight or loose players but the table had generally 4-5 players playing each hand pre-flop.

So I made the call. 7 came on the turn so now I had 8 outs (really 6 as caller had one of my J's and BB had one 10) and the river came with a 6. Bummer. I knew I should have laid it down, and if I was playing a cash game I would have, but in a tourney I made the call hoping for the big reward!

Great insights!

[haus]

Great idea for a thread. We should all post some of these - it will make us better poker players.

[Solo83]

Well

I thought the BB probably hit the straight and the caller had AJ. I was half right. The caller had J8, for a lesser 2 pair, and the BB had 7 10. I figured he had hit a BB special. I KNEW someone had the Negreanu hand.

I agree that posts like this help everyone get thinking more critically about hands and makes us better players.

[Goosie]

Great idea for a thread. We should all post some of these - it will make us better poker players.

I'll sit back and read everyone's posts for a few weeks, then we should get a cash game together. I'll start posting my thoughts after we play the game.