Play along: Pocket Jacks facing a cold 4-bet
You opened, faced a 3-bet, 4-bet for value, and the original 3-bettor shoves. What now?
- play along
- strategy
Play along
$2/$5 live. You open to $20 in middle position with J♠ J♥. The button 3-bets to $65. The big blind cold-calls. You 4-bet to $220 intending to fold to a 5-bet shove from the button—but the button flats. The big blind now jams for $600 total. Action is on you. The button still has chips behind and is not closing the action preflop in the same way as online (live talk and timing matter), but for this puzzle assume the button will only call or fold if you call, and will not re-jam.
After you try the puzzle above, here is a compact note you can revisit later.
How to use these spots
Treat each "play along" like a flashcard: pick an action quickly, reveal the suggested line, then write one sentence about where your instinct disagreed. That sentence is where your personal leaks live.
If you want a deeper study path, pair this spot with an article on 3-bet and 4-bet pots once those posts land in the library.