How to Play Pocket Jacks Properly

“There are 3 ways to play Pocket Jacks, and they’re all wrong.”

You may have heard this famous poker saying before. Hopefully you didn’t pay it much attention because it’s pretty much nonsense.

Pocket Jacks is one of the strongest hands preflop and should be a welcome sight when the dealer tosses it your way.

But despite its strength, many people misplay Jacks by playing them far too passively or far too aggressively.

That’s why in this article I will share with you:

  • How to Play Pocket Jacks Preflop
  • 3 Tips for Playing Jacks After 3-Betting
  • 3 Tips for Playing Jacks After Calling a 3-Bet

At the end, I’ve also included a bonus infographic with 3 beginner-friendly tips for playing Jacks.

Let’s dive in!

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How to Play Pocket Jacks in Common Preflop Situations

This section will go over the optimal way to play Pocket Jacks in every common preflop scenario. Note that this advice assumes you’re playing a cash game with 100 big blind stacks (no ante).

Here are the positions that will be referenced in this section:

positions for ace queen 3-betting reference

Unopened Pots

Pocket Jacks rank among the top 2-3% of hands preflop. You should raise every single time from every position when the action folds to you.

You should never limp this hand, or any hand for that matter.

Against a Raise

When you’re facing a preflop raise and you have Pocket Jacks, you should always 3-bet.

It is simply too strong of a hand to consider just calling. 3-betting has the following advantages:

  • You have loads of equity when called
  • The 3-bet generates fold equity
  • Your hand is strong enough to call (or shove) against a 4-bet

There are some situations in tournaments where just calling a raise with Pocket Jacks is best. But in cash games, put in that 3-bet.

Against a 3-Bet

When faced with a 3-bet by a good and aggressive player, you should usually 4-bet with Pocket Jacks. It might seem scary to 4-bet, but there are only 3 hands that have you beat: Pocket Aces, Pocket Kings, and Pocket Queens.

You can’t really approach poker strategy by constantly being afraid of monsters.

Of course, if you know your opponent is a very tight player who only 3-bets with QQ+ and Ace-King, you can consider just calling or even folding. But that will not be true for the vast majority of your opponents. Make sure you have an iron-clad read before making such a tight move.

Against a 4-Bet

In theory, when facing a 4-bet, you should never fold a hand as strong as Jacks.

That being said, if you are playing in live games, there is a much higher chance that you are going to encounter players who only 4-bet with Ace-King, Pocket Queens, Pocket Kings, and Pocket Aces. Against those players, you SHOULD fold. Again, just make sure you have a good read before doing so.

Against the more balanced and aggressive players, however, you should 5-bet shove in the later positions (Big Blind, Small Blind, and Button) and call the 4-bet from the other positions.

3 Tips for Playing Pocket Jacks as the Preflop 3-Bettor

Suppose a player raises, you 3-bet with Pocket Jacks, and your opponent calls. This section contains 3 tips for this common and potentially tricky scenario.

Tip #1: If you 3-bet from the Small Blind and the flop has one overcard, fire a bet

You’ve probably always hated 3-betting with Jacks only to have the flop come something like or .

The good news is that, if you’ve 3-bet from the Small Blind, then your overall range of hands will be quite strong on these boards. So, you can fire a small c-bet with your entire range — a game theory approved strategy.

Pocket Jacks serves as a thin value bet on all of these flops, and it also benefits from protection.

For example, on that example flop, your bet will get called by some worse hands (such as ) while also forcing hands with equity (like ) to fold.

Tip #2: If you’re in position on an Ace-high flop, go for pot control with a check

Suppose the Cutoff raises and you 3-bet from the Button. If your opponent calls and the flop is something like , you should check back with your Jacks.

You have a hand with good but not great equity and there are only a couple of bad turn cards ( or ) for you, so you can afford to check and take a free card.

In general, medium strength hands that don’t fear too many turns tend to make good check backs. Pocket Jacks on these Ace-high flops is a perfect example.

Tip #3: If you are in position and your Jacks are an overpair, always bet

You need to start betting whenever the flop is something like or .

On these lower flops, Jacks are a strong overpair with which you should try to extract value right away. 

Failing to do so allows your opponent to realize equity with overcards for free against you — imagine how disastrous it would be to check and let your opponent catch a higher pair for free.

Don’t miss these opportunities for value. The difference in expected value (EV) between betting and checking in these scenarios is large.

3 Tips for Playing Pocket Jacks After Calling a 3-Bet

Now, let’s turn the tables and discuss playing Jacks after calling someone else’s 3-bet.

Tip #1: If the flop comes Ace-high and you’re out of position, check and fold versus a bet

Example: You raise from UTG, the player in the Cutoff 3-bets, and you call with . The flop comes . You check and your opponent bets.

Ace-high flops are the worst case scenario for Pocket Jacks after you’ve called a 3-bet.

It’s horrible because your opponent’s range is so strong that you can’t really make a profitable call against a c-bet. Even though you might have the best hand now, your opponent can put pressure on you for 3 streets. This hand cannot withstand that amount of frequent pressure.

You just need to accept this fact and move on to the next hand!

Tip #2: In position with a middling pair, you should always check back

Example: You raise from UTG, the player in the Small Blind 3-bets, and you call with . The flop comes and your opponent checks.

If you remember from tip #2 of the previous section, this hand has the best properties for a pot controlling hand:

  1. Good but not great equity
  2. Is not very vulnerable
  3. You have the opportunity to see the turn for free

When these 3 attributes come together, you should check-back.

Tip #3: In position, you should always bet when the board is low 

Example: You raise from UTG, the player in the Small Blind 3-bets, and you call with . The flop comes and your opponent checks.

Sometimes you get a good board for your range. These low boards (8-high and lower) don’t mingle well with the out-of-position 3-bettor’s range.

The majority of the hands they 3-bet miss these flops, which forces them to check with a good chunk of their range. That checking range, no matter how well-built it is, is vulnerable to small stabs. 

By betting small on the flop with Jacks, you get to extract some value and deny a bit of equity. When only getting a call from your opponent, you should continue value betting on the vast majority of turns. Except, of course, when the turn card is the dreaded Ace.

3 Bonus Tips to Avoid Spewing With Jacks

pocket jacks JJ infographic

Final Thoughts

It’s not that hard to play Pocket Jacks well, at least on the first two streets. Doing so sets the rest of the hand up for easier turn and river decisions. So try and always make the correct plays preflop and on the flop so that more big blinds will start getting pushed towards you (in the long run of course!)

That’s all for this article! I hope you enjoyed it and that you learned something new from it! If you have any questions or feedback please let me know in the comment section down below and I’ll do my best to reply!

Till’ next time, good luck, grinders!

Note: Want a reminder by email or text when the Upswing Poker Black Friday sale begins? Click here and fill out your info to make sure you don’t brick the biggest sale of the year!

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How to play Faro & Game Rules with Video – PlayingCardDecks.com

(This is the typical set up for the game Faro)

(This is the typical set up for the game Faro)

Card Game Rules

Faro is a historical casino game for two or more players. It requires a standard 52 card deck, an extra set of 13 cards for each rank, a set of betting chips for each player, and a penny for each player. In Faro, Aces are low and Kings are high. The objective is to win the most bets. 

If you are looking for cards to play Faro with, check out a standard deck here or check out one of our recent arrivals here.

For more casino games, check out our guides for In-Between and Baccarat.

You can also find an 1882 rule book to Faro here.

Set-Up

To set-up a game a Faro, place the extra 13 cards in two rows face up in the middle of the playing table. These cards make up the tableau. From the top left going right, the card order should be King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, and 8. The 7 should be placed to the right of and halfway down from the 8. The 6 should then be placed to the left of the 7 and directly below the 8. From the 6 going left, the card order should be 5, 4, 3, 2, and Ace.

The dealer sits opposite of the players with a faced down deck of shuffled cards in-front of them. Players bring their own chips to bet with. Every player receives a penny to bet against cards with.

 

How to Play

The dealer begins the game by showing everyone the top card of the deck. The card is then placed face up to the side of the gameplay area. Players then place bets on one of the cards in the tableau. Next the dealer draws two card from the deck and places them face up for all the players to see. The first card is the loser. The second card is the winner. Bets on the first card are lost. Bets on the second card receive 1:1 payout from the dealer.

The flipped over cards are placed to the side and another round begins. Players can move their bets around, keep them where they were or begin placing bets on multiple cards. Multiple players can bet on the same card. Gameplay continues until the deck runs out.

 

Misc. Rules

A player can bet that the winning card is higher than the losing card by placing chips next to the deck. Payout is 1:1.

A player can bet on the losing card by placing a penny on top of their chip. 

When the deck has three cards left, players can bet on the order of the final draw.

If the losing and winning cards are of the same rank, then the dealer receives half of the bet made.

If a player places a bet on a card that has already been drawn four times from the deck, the first person (player or dealer) who notices can say “dead bet” and receive the chips.

History

(A game of Faro in 1895)

(A game of Faro in 1895)

Faro was first played in 18th century France. It was named after the picture of an Egyptian pharaoh that appeared on many French playing cards. The game spread eastward towards Russia and eventually reached the American West in the 1800’s. By 1925, the game became virtually extinct as Baccarat and Blackjack took over as the more popular games at casinos.

For more information about Faro, check out David Parlett’s article here or Pagat.com’s article here.

 

Looking for more card games to play?  Check out this article:

40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions

About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.

John Taylor Head shot

Last update date: 0/25/21

How to Play Roulette and Where You Can Find It for Free

Roulette is a casino game with an infinite number of spins.

Players bet on the outcome of the ball in the roulette wheel, or its position relative to numbers on the board or in relation to other numbers.

The game is played by placing bets with chips on various portions of the roulette table, which can correspond either to numbers, colors, or even whether the player is betting “even” or “odd”.

Roulette is a game played with a spinning wheel that has slots for placing bets. In this game, the players place their chips on the table as they choose one of the numbers or colors on the wheel. The croupier spins the wheel and then spins it again after all of the players have placed their bets.

In order to win, you have to bet on a number or color that is coming up in a random fashion under one of those two spins. You can also bet on a specific range of numbers or colors by putting your chips at the back edge of those numbers or colors. There is also an option called “outside bets” which are any other number outside of 0 and 00 that you can place your bet on.

The odds at winning roulette

How to Play Live Casino Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the easiest casino table games to grasp, but it can take you a little longer to master. With the aid of this comprehensive guide on how to play blackjack, we can equip you with the skillset and knowledge to have fun even when you are sat playing against a real dealer in the LiveRoulette live casino.

With over 20 live blackjack tables to choose from at LiveRoulette, there is always an opportunity to play a basic hand of blackjack or dabble with some of the side bet variants that can switch-up your gameplay. Before you get started, why not familiarise yourself with the basics of blackjack and get to grips with an optimal strategy to minimise the house edge.

The on-screen layout of a live blackjack table

From the moment you load up your live casino blackjack table, you will meet a friendly, professionally trained dealer to manage your game. You can see the seven-player seats around the table. Vacant seats will say ‘Sit Here’ and you only need to click to join the action.

The display of your account balance is in the bottom left corner of the screen and you can choose the size of your stake in the ‘Total Bet’ button next to it. Click the inner circle of your seat position once to bet one unit. You can also click on the side bet areas to place additional bets if you wish.

It’s possible to chat with the dealer and the other players at the table in real-time using the ‘Lobby’ button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Card values in live blackjack

The values of cards in a game of blackjack are easy to follow. They correspond to their numerical value displayed on the card. Face cards (Jack, Queen and King) are worth ten, while an Ace can be worth either one or 11 and played however you see fit.

In-play actions available in live blackjack

Hit

By ‘hitting’, you’re requesting an additional card from the dealer to try and improve your hand(s). You can continue to hit cards until your hand value is 21 or greater.

Stand

You can choose to stand on your hand, which means that you are happy with the value of your cards and don’t require any more from the deck. You may choose to stand your hand to avoid exceeding 21 and going bust.

Split

When a dealer gives you two cards of equal value, you can split them. Splitting turns these cards into two separate hands, with the dealer giving you one additional card for each hand. You must pay to split. The additional bet must be equal to your starting stake.

Double Down

If you believe one additional card will improve your hand to defeat the dealer, you may choose to double down. You’ll only get one more card from the deck and you must double your starting stake.

Insurance

Whenever the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, the dealer will offer you an insurance side bet which can cover your losses if the dealer has a blackjack.

How many hands can you play in live blackjack?

You can play as many hands as you want at most live blackjack tables. Wherever there is a vacant seat at the table, you can normally use it to play multiple hands in different seats – providing you have the bankroll for it. Unlike other card games such as Texas Hold’em Poker, where it’s not possible to take up multiple seats at a table, you can do so in blackjack because you are not playing against the other players at the table, only the dealer’s hand.

What does bet behind mean?

At some live casino blackjack tables, you may have the option to ‘bet behind’ another active player at the table. This means that you will be betting on your chosen player’s hand to beat the dealer’s hand. Although you will have no say or control over how the hand turns out, you obviously have a choice as to which player you choose to bet behind.

Each active player at the table will have icons displayed next to their name, displaying how well they are playing. Those on a ‘hot’ or winning streak will usually have a gold medal or star next to their name.

How does the dealer play their hand?

You should now know how to play your blackjack hand at the tables, but do you know how the dealer plays their own hand? Put simply, if the dealer’s first two cards add up to 16 or less, they must hit and take an additional card. If their first two cards value is between 18 and 21, they must stand and take no further cards.

If the dealer has a ‘hard’ 17, they must stand. A hard 17 is a hand that does not contain an ace or has one or more aces with the value at one. If the dealer has a ‘soft’ 17, they must hit and take an additional card. A soft 17 is a hand that does contain an ace with the value being at 11.

The dealer’s hand automatically wins the round if your hand busts, or if the option is available to surrender your hand and half of your original stake. Their hand also wins if it is closer to 21 than yours. If you and the dealer have hands of the same value, then this is a ‘push’. In this event, you receive your original stake in full due to the tied game.

It’s worth noting that the dealer has very little say in how they play their hand. They must adhere to the house rules of standing on hard 17 and hitting on soft 17. Under no circumstances can they change tac and play their hand differently.

Available payouts at the blackjack tables

First and foremost, if you win a hand of live blackjack against the dealer’s hand, you will win a payout worth 1:1. If you bet €10, you’ll receive €10 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back.

It’s a little less straightforward for blackjacks. Some tables payout 6:5 for blackjack, while others will pay 3:2. For example, if you bet €10 and get a blackjack at a 6:5 blackjack table, you’ll receive €12 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back. If you bet €10 and get a blackjack at a 3:2 blackjack table, you’ll get €15 in winnings, plus your €10 stake back.

If you choose to take out the insurance bet, this pays out at 2:1 in the event the dealer lands a natural two-card blackjack.

Side bets in live blackjack

Although bet behind is also considered a side bet option, there are two primary side bets that you can place when sat at most of our live blackjack tables:

  • 21+3
    Let’s start with the 21+3 side bet. This one happens around the first two cards you receive, as well as the dealer’s visible ‘upcard’. If you can form a three-card poker hand using your first two cards and the dealer’s upcard (flush, straight, straight flush or three-of-a-kind) you will win a payout. The size of the payout depends on what kind of poker hand you can form. It typically ranges from 5:1 for a flush through to 100:1 for three-of-a-kind cards of the same suit.
     
  • Perfect Pairs
    Perfect Pairs is the second most popular side bet you’ll find at our live blackjack tables. This optional side bet requires you to find matching card values, card colours or, better still, two identical cards. You can win 5:1 for a Mixed Pair, such as a pair of eights of different suits. You can win 12:1 for a Coloured Pair, like a pair of sixes of the same colour i.e. diamonds or hearts. Finally, you can also bag 25:1 payouts for a Perfect Pair, which is two identical cards.

Understanding optimal strategy in live blackjack

The key to giving yourself the best chance of winning at the live casino blackjack tables is to adopt a smart strategy. A smart strategy is one that minimises the game’s house edge. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the betting techniques you should employ as part of an optimal blackjack strategy:

  • Doubling down on 10 and 11
    Some casinos will only allow players to double down on hands when their initial two-card hand is worth 10 or 11. Doubling down on 10 or 11 is a powerful play, particularly if the dealer’s hand is lower. It may even be prudent to double down when your hand is worth nine and the dealer’s hand is of a lower value still.
     
  • Splitting Aces and 8s
    If you have a pair of aces in your hand, this is a hard or soft total of 12. This is rarely a good situation to be in. There’s a high probability of landing a face card or a ten with your next card and going bust. Splitting them gives you a chance to potentially land two blackjacks or two cards valued higher than 12.

    A pair of eights is a hard total of 16, which means there are plenty of cards in the deck that could bust your hand when you hit. Splitting your eights into two hands gives you a chance to land a ten on both hands to achieve 18, which is a respectable outcome in this scenario.
     

  • Avoid taking Insurance
    Whenever the dealer’s upcard is an ace, you will get the chance to buy ‘Insurance’. This requires you to pay half the size of your original stake as a side bet, which pays out 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack, ensuring you break even for the hand. The dealer will not have a blackjack more than 50% of the time, so Insurance is a statistically bad play – unless you are certain their next card will be a ten.
     
  • Surrender 16 against a ten (if allowed)
    If early or late ‘Surrender’, the best time to use it is when you have a hand value of 16 against the dealer’s ten. There are plenty of cards in the deck that can bust your hand and a similar amount that can give the dealer’s hand an unassailable advantage. That’s why it makes more sense to cut your losses and surrender half your stake in this position.

Live blackjack variations

Not content with conventional live blackjack games? We’ve got you covered. At LiveRoulette, you can immerse yourself in three different blackjack variations. All of which offer exciting, fast-paced gameplay, available on all desktop and mobile devices.

Speed Blackjack

Are you short on time? If you don’t have a moment to waste, Speed Blackjack could be the ideal solution for you. Powered by LiveRoulette partner Evolution Gaming, Speed Blackjack accelerates the gameplay wherever possible. The first two cards play as normal, but the next step is completely different.

In Speed Blackjack, the quickest players to make their decision to stand, hit, split or double down will play first with the dealer. It reduces the waiting time for experienced players that know what they are doing, even if it does not provide a mathematical edge to your action.

Infinite Blackjack

If you are someone that can only devote time to playing live blackjack during ‘peak’ hours, the chances are that most live blackjack tables will be full of players when you log in. There’s no need to worry about not being able to play though, thanks to our Infinite Blackjack tables.

As the name suggests, these low bet limit tables cater to an unlimited number of players, with no need to wait for a seat to become available. That’s because all active players receive a ‘community’ two-card hand. Subsequently, each player can play the remainder of the hand however they wish. There are no less than four side bets to choose from too.

Blitz Blackjack

Blitz Blackjack, powered by LiveRoulette partner NetEnt, operates on the same principle as Infinite Blackjack. All players receive the same two cards on-screen from the dealer and are then given the option to hit, stand and split the two cards to make the remainder of the hand their own. Again, there is no limit on the number of players that can play at these tables, which is great for peak hour gaming.

Blackjack is not a complex or scary casino game. You can grasp it within minutes and start to enjoy yourself at the tables of our Canadian online casino!

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