Playing Pocket Jacks in The Right Ways

It has to be the hand players complain the most about. I’ve had many discussions with players over playing pocket jacks. They’ve ranged from questioning whether they should be folded to a 4 bet to should they be played for set value only.

A lot of players seem to have a phobia about pocket jacks. I think it stems from players stubbornness, an unwillingness to fold strong hands. This causes them to lose more than they should with a strong, but vulnerable hand.

This article will cover everything a beginner needs to know about a pair of fish hooks in Texas Hold’em. I will deal with the odds, reasons why their hated, and offer a few tips on how to play pocket jacks too.

Pocket Jacks Odds

Over-card will flop	57%
Ahead of smaller pairs	80%
Chance of beating a higher pocket pair	19%
Beating a random hand	77%
Against two over-cards	52%

How Often Will I be Dealt Jacks?

You can expect to be dealt pocket jacks 0.45% of the time or 1 in 221 hands.

Why Do People Hate Pocket Jacks?

Players like poker to be simple, straightforward and easy. Sadly, this is rarely the case, particularly when you hold pocket jacks. People don’t like being in awkward situations and having tough decisions. That’s logical isn’t it? Do you want easier decisions or tough ones? It’s a no brainer.

When you’re holding a pair of jacks, a higher card will flop over ½ the time. The problem with this is that people like big cards. They are the most favourable hands to play in Texas Hold’em. Therefore, people get concerned, and rightly so to some extent, that their jacks are already beat.

They either fold on the flop and curse their luck at an overcard coming, call down and feel rubbish when they’re beat or try to showdown their jacks for no value.

Tips on Playing Pocket Jacks

There are plenty of ways playing pocket jacks. The tips below should see you generate a better rate of return on them than other more erratic ways.

Exercise caution

If you lose lots of money with jacks, try playing a bit more careful. Perhaps you’ve been overplaying them. If it’s an early position raise, perhaps just flat call and take a flop? There may be more value in flat calling before the flop an early raise, especially if you’re deeper than 50 big blinds.

If you’re playing If you’ve flopped an overpair, perhaps just flat call on the flop instead of raising? Smooth calling can be an effectice way of extracting value on later rounds. You can bluff catch, bet for value later and save money if you’re beat too.

Consider the information first

Context is extremely important in poker. Rather than thinking “I’ve got pocket jacks, I’m doing X”, consider who is raising, what position, how effective stack sizes. You don’t need to rush to judgement. Take your time and consider the facts before making a rash decision.

Don’t worry about folding

If a dreaded over-card comes and you’re facing lots of aggression or have been check raised, don’t be scared to fold. You are the only one that knows your cards. If you’ve 3 bet a tight player and he’s jammed a deep stack, don’t be scared to fold just because you have a relatively big pair.

Thin value bet when opponents check down

Whilst an Ace is certainly a card to be wary of, a King or Queen isn’t as scary as there are fewer combinations opponents will play. Additionally, if they’re checking their hand down, you are almost always going to be ahead at showdown. Therefore, don’t be afraid to value bet thinly in scenarios where opponents are employing pot control and not investing much. You want to get the max from your Jacks.

Summary on Playing Pocket Jacks

Pocket jacks is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em. There are only 3 higher pocket pairs so you can expect to have the best hand before the flop most of the time you’re dealt them. Obviously, you need to be wary in a full ring, deep stacked game, but jacks should win you money in the long run.

If you’re losing with this hand over a lot of hands, you need to reassess how you are playing them. I offer a hand history review service that can help and the first session is 1/2 off. All you’d need to do is download the hands from your tracker and I can review them for you.

This article was written in 2020 and has been updated.