Pocket Jacks raised to 6bb preflop, called by multiple players, then went all-in on the flop and lost to 93s—was this hand played wrong?

Hand Review

Yesterday, a netizen posted a thread on the r/poker subreddit seeking advice, describing a hand of JJ they played in a live poker game.

• Preflop: He held JJ and raised to 6bb. He mentioned that he understood the concept of "betting the same size with the same range," meaning hands like QJs and AA should also be raised to the same 6bb. The result was three callers.
• Flop: 9♦8♦3♠. As the preflop raiser, he thought this was a good spot for a value bet, so he bet 20bb. Two players called, one folded.
• Turn: 5♠. He felt satisfied, thinking someone might be on a flush draw, so he shoved his remaining ~70bb. Both opponents called.
• River: T♥. He lost to one opponent's 93s (which flopped two pair), and the other opponent folded, their hand unknown.

He ended the post with a question about 3-bet sizing: "If someone raises to 3bb and there is one caller before me, should the 3-bet be 4 times the raise plus 1bb for each limper?"

Problem Analysis and Common Mistakes

1. Preflop Raise Size

In a live cash game with 100bb effective stacks, a preflop raise to 6bb is typically too large. Standard raises are usually between 3-5bb. While a larger raise can reduce the number of opponents, it also strengthens their ranges and inflates the pot, making postflop decisions more difficult when multiway.

With a medium pair like JJ, after raising to 6bb and getting three callers, the pot is already 24bb with 94bb remaining. Postflop, the probability of flopping an overpair is about 50%, but JJ is very vulnerable in a multiway pot.

2. Flop Bet

The flop is 9d8d3s, with two overcards (9 and 8) and a flush draw. JJ is still an overpair, but not safe on this board. Betting 20bb (about 83% pot) is a large bet, intended to protect the hand and extract value. However, facing two opponents, one of them could have top pair, a flush draw, a straight draw (e.g., T7, 76), or two pair.

In reality, the opponent's 93s exactly flopped bottom two pair—an unlikely but real cooler. In multiway pots, JJ often struggles to get paid by worse hands while being susceptible to hidden strong hands.

3. Turn Shove

The turn is the 5s, a blank (no obvious draws completed). The pot is about 64bb with ~70bb effective. Is shoving a reasonable decision?

Pros of shoving:

• Prevents flush draws from seeing a free river.
• Forces opponents to fold non-strong hands.

Cons:

• The opponent's calling range likely includes top pair + draws, two pair, sets, etc. JJ is likely behind.
• Shoving gives opponents a chance to call with better hands and fold worse ones (like pure flush draws).

If the opponents are rational, after calling 20bb on the flop, their calling range against a turn shove is generally stronger than JJ. Thus, shoving becomes a "win a small pot or lose a big one" play.

4. The Question About 3-Bet Sizing

Regarding 3-bet sizing, a standard rule of thumb for online or live play is to 3-bet to 3-4 times the initial raise plus 1bb for each limper. For example, if the initial raise is 3bb and there is one limper, a 3-bet to 3x+1 = 10bb (or 4x+1 = 13bb) is common. However, actual sizing should be adjusted based on position, effective stacks, and opponents.

Summary

In this hand, JJ in a multiway pot on a connected board faced high risk with both the value bet and the shove. A more solid approach might have been to make a smaller preflop raise (e.g., 4bb) to reduce the number of callers, or to choose a smaller bet size on the flop (e.g., half pot) against two opponents, or even consider a check-raise (though cautiously). The turn shove was a polarizing play, but in this case the opponent's 93s happened to be in its value range.

The key takeaway: Don't dismiss your decision logic just because of one loss, but reflect that in multiway pots, medium pairs often profit from timely folds or value extraction preflop or on the flop.