In general, is it a good idea to raise pre-flop with Jack 10 suited, assuming we have position?

PAHWM 1-2 NL Holdem

Table just opened. all players have about 200 in front (Max buy in).

V1 UTG+2 - tight Indian player. We know he's tight because we played with him before.

V2 UTG+3 I think is V1's cousin or brother or something as he looks a lot like V1.

V3 - Loose aggressive Asian player who can call or go all in with weak hands.
(Played with him before)

Hero - picks up Jh10h on the button.

V1,2,3 all limp Hero decides it's time for a little bet and bets out $15

Everyone calls ($63)

Flop comes down 10c 7c 2d. Giving us top pair, mediocre kicker. All kinds of draws.

Everyone checks to Hero. What's the move here? Are we just setting up ourselves for trouble if we bet?

I bet here 30$ , denying equity of Ax Kx Qx hands, isolating flush draws/straight draws, getting value from 88 99 7x. Folding to a raise. Giving up on club turns. Generally, if I get one caller, I am checking most turns setting up a bluff catch on many different rivers. Yes you run into QT KT AT sometimes - this is part of the game.

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Your pf raise is standard.

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$45

Preflop is a little small, I think. I try to aim for the standard open size + 1bb per limper. So, if $12 is the standard open, I'd go to $18. You'd be surprised how much additional fold equity can be generated just by increasing the raise size by a few dollars.

I'm fine with either a bet or a check here on the flop. If we bet, $30 sounds right.

Im raising this just about always. If youve been paying attention you should know what size raises are getting called. Im raising to whatever amount will most likely get it HU after 3 limpers. If it takes a raise to $30, then I raise to $30. Id raise the same amount with AA if that's what it took to get it HU. Every table is different.

As played, I'm betting $40. Id check this flop in a 1/2 game about 0% of the time.

It's not a good idea, it's a great idea. JTs makes more nut straights than any other suited connector hand. If we're never raising suited connectors on the button, we're not playing good poker.

I'm fine with either raising more PF or keeping a similar raise size and keeping everyone in the hand. It depends on how much you like playing postflop multiway vs passive opponents and where you feel your edge in this game is. JTs is one of the easiest hands to play multiway in position. But you should understand you are making a pot builder raise here when you do this. I'm actually all on board with making the first hand of the table when you have the button a pot builder raise and setting it up for stacks to get in on the first hand of the game because this will likely loosen the table dynamic quite a bit which always makes for a better game.


Check or bet the flop is OK here. Why we would check is because we're going to want to throw some top pairs here into our check back range and JT is a fine candidate to do that with.

Raise to $20 pre to get hand HU.

As played $40 otf.

Your preflop raise is almost certainly going to be called in multiple places. The pot is already $10 before it even gets to you.

Maybe it's okay if you're doing this with *all* your hands OTB but would you also be happy about getting called in 4 places with AA?

If you make a "little bet" with suited connectors and a big raise with premiums, even the dumbest of Villains will quickly pick up on it. So don't do that.

Definitely a fan of raising though.

Can you explain a bit more why you dislike checking the flop? In 5/5 or even 2/5 I think this is a very reasonable check back. We have top pair with the fourth best kicker. Preflop ranges are tighter and it's fairly unlikely we will be called by worse. I guess some 1/2 players will show up with enough T9o combos to make a bet profitable here, but I think usually a bet of $40 here is targeting only flush draws, openended straight draws, T9s, T8s,99,and 88. When you factor in all the offsuit broadway Tx combos that beat us, aren't we often behind when called?

I can see the argument for betting flop to protect our hand against overcards. But wouldn't we prefer to bet a smaller sizing? Like, I think $20 might be a lot better than $30-$40.

I disagree with the "strategy" that some people use where they raise smallish pre with their small PP's and SC's just to juice up the pot. If this is your standard amount raising this many limpers it needs to be higher. Your goal in doing this is to get the pot HU or maybe 3way and preferably with someone who is going to call this bet who is not a good poker player. The advantage of doing this is so the table cant always put you on an overpair/AQ+ when you raise in this spot, your hand is hidden and of course you are in position.

The way you played this hand has now put you in a major problem. You are now 4way with a very vulnerable hand where you have no idea where you are at. Limping behind solves this problem as does raising bigger pre. You have to cbet here to thin the field and the amount you should bet is the amount you would usually bet if you had KK in this spot. If one of the V's is a good player he will notice your smaller bet means you are weaker and can easily take the pot away from you. Getting fancy with fancy hands can be very -EV in the long run if you dont actually have a plan or a thought process as to why you're raising this hand pre.

I think OP is also the guy who plays $100 bet a street max at CNE so asking these questions on a NL board is going to do the opposite of helping you.

The avg 1/2 player will call larger bets with weaker made hands and draws than the avg 2/5 or 5/5 player will. When I play 1/2 I pound away with larger bets.