Jack-Ten in online poker, also called JT, is a strong combination of a poker hand in Texas Holdem. The pair is also popularly known as Justin Timberlake for its initials. While this combination doesn’t make for a top pair, it can potentially strike the top straight in the poker game. Jack-Ten makes the game very simple as, unlike position being critical for most of the poker hands, JT doesn’t go by the rules.
Jack-Ten is considered to be a strong hand due to its massive playability and blocker effects. Learning how to play Jack-Ten in online poker cash games will undoubtedly help you gain an edge over your opponents. So, here are some valuable tips on how to play JT suited preflop, how to play JT when you hit the flop, and when you miss the flop.
Also Read: How to read your poker game opponents better?
Playing Jack-Ten suited preflop
While playing online poker, there may be different preflop situations that you will come across. Here’s how you can play Jack-Ten in such common situations.
- Facing a Raise
When facing a raise, your play mainly depends on the position of the raiser and your position. When you are in the middle position, you can either adopt a 3-bet only strategy or a mixed strategy, including cold calls and 3-bets.
- Unopened Pots
In the situation of unopened pots, you can open-raise by using Jack-Ten from any position for a strong hand. Limping this hand will lead to winning smaller pots on an average in the longer run. On the contrary, if you want to use a mixed strategy, you should call with the JT hand.
If you choose to play this Jack-Ten from a Small Blind while facing a raise, you should go for a 3-bet except when you are in a tight opening range during a 9-handed game. In the situation where you are in the Big Blind while facing a raise, your play should be based on the raiser’s position. If the raiser’s position is a Small Blind, Button, or cutoff, you can either call with a mixed frequency strategy or 3-bet. In the case of other positions of the raiser, you can call and take a flop.
- Against a 3-bet
In most poker games, which are usually highly raked, Jack-Ten suited is either called or is 4-bet if the player is out of position against the 3-bettor. Jack-Ten is a powerful hand in games that have a no flop, no drop rule. Calling with a Jack-Ten suited is always advantageous when you have the advantage of position while facing a 3-bet. The only exception to this is if you have raised from an early or middle position and the 3-bettor is a good player.
- Against a 4-bet
Usually, there are two 4-bet situations when you can play Jack-Ten. The first is when you 3-bet on button from the middle position and face a 4-bet from the open-raiser. In this case, you should fold, but if you are on the button and facing 4-bet from the cutoff, you should call. If your opponent is on the button 4-betting, you can call 3-bet from big blind or small blind. However, you need to be mindful of your opponent’s 4-betting tendency before deciding to fold or call.
Also Read: Top Poker Tips for Successfully Multi-tabling Online
Playing Jack-Ten when you hit the flop
When you hit the flop, there are three tips you can use to play Jack-Ten.
- Don’t slow-play strong hands
If you have a strong hand, it’s a no-brainer to build the pot quickly. This tip is valuable for all hands in poker. Slow-playing your hand during a straight, a flush or a flop two pair is the biggest mistake you can make.
- Bet on the flop and check on the turn if you flop top pair in a single-raised pot
Jack-Ten’s top pairs are useful when you are betting two streets, and you can extract the value by leaning towards betting flop – checking turn – betting river. Using Jack-Ten will help you pick off some of your opponent’s bluffs.
- Frequently double barrel on the turn if you have top pair and flush draw
Usually, the top pairs you hit with JT are not strong to value bet for three streets. However, if you have a flush draw that can go with your top pair, it makes the top pair strong enough to bet.
Here are some useful tips to pick the right online poker game to begin
Playing Jack-Ten when you miss the flop
As the preflop raiser, you can use these three tips for playing Jack-Ten if you miss the flop.
- Make sure to bet with a backdoor flush draw
It’s wise to bet when you have a backdoor flush draw or backdoor straight draw as you can continue to semi-bluff until you have a real draw.
- Definitely bet when you flop a real draw
Use Jack-Ten as an ideal semi-bluffing hand when you flop a real draw such as straight or flush draws.
- Look for connected boards if you don’t have a real draw
If you don’t have a real draw, look out for super-connected boards where Jack-Ten can be used for a backdoor straight draw. Keep an overall passive strategy in such a situation.
Final Thoughts
This should have made playing the Jack-Ten hand in online poker relatively easier for you. You can use these tips with confidence to make the best use of this strong hand of Poker. These tips will level up your poker skills and take your poker strategy to the next level. You can play Jack-Ten in poker cash games and ace the game on the MPL app.
