More value: A triple on the flop

Today, I present another hand from the $3,500 World Poker Tour event I’ve been talking about for a few weeks. Unfortunately, the hand came early in the tournament. However, it helped me get relatively far afterwards. Play online at onesouthafricaforall.

The blinds are 400/800 with a big blind ante of 800. The hand starts unusually – a player in middle position decides to limp. The hijack limps behind, in the cutoff I have {a-Spades}{j-Hearts} in front of me.

The fact is: you don’t always have to raise limper. There are also hands with which we like to limp as well. But with Ace-Jack I definitely want to raise, so I raise to 5,200 (3 times the big blind plus the amount in the pot).

The small blind pays my raise and the initial limper does the same. The hijack surprisingly gives up his hand despite the very good pot odds.

The flop is revealed: {k-Spades}{j-Clubs}{j-Diamonds} – trips for me. It checks all the way to me.

How do you want to proceed? Slowplay and check? That’s probably the wrong approach. Do you want to put all chips in with your best hands, or are you content to win a small pot every time?

See for yourself in the video below how I try to build a pot on the flop with my strong hand and what happens next. Listen to what I think of my own and my opponent’s play in this hand.

After both opponents stay in on the flop and the turn comes {9 clubs}, I have to make another decision. It is also difficult because at this point I have fewer chips left than I have in the pot. But on a board with so many draws I have to bet. Unfortunately, I can’t bet small, so my only option is to shove (and luckily for me, the small blind makes a mistake and pays).
Would you also go all-in on the turn or be more cautious?

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