Betting / poker

AmericasCardroom has a Jackpot game of no-limit hold 'em. It's different from the traditional Jackpot game we commonly associate to a cash game. In their version of Jackpot poker, they host a 3 handed turbo style tournament. Starting stack is 500 chips. I buy-in at the lowest amount: $2 The jackpot can get to a max of $5000 when playing the $2 game. Higher buy-in means possible higher jackpot. I have played maybe about 20 games and usually, the jackpot of the $2 buy-in game is $4. Got lucky for this game and the jackpot is $8. I like this game because it does not take very long to play. This game lasted 10 hands and took just under 6 minutes to play. Below is Hand #1: QhJs on the little blind. The button folded so was easy to preflop raise this hand. The big blind folded. Hand #2: 10s8c on the button. Good enough to limp in and take a flop. Stacks are so short (only start with just shy of 17 big blinds) don't really want to fold if there is some kind of reasonable draw. The flop misses but is checked. I bluff about 1/2 pot bet and the bet is called. The 8s on the turn gives me a pair but I decide not to bet again since they called the flop bet. Pair of eights might not be good. Another 8 hits on the river giving me trips. Should be good but still beat by QQ, any better 8 or even 69. I think they would bet any of those combos so I figure my hand is good but how much can I bet and get called? I figure they have paired the queen. I put a conservative pot bet of 110 and get the call. Might have been able to get them all in but that might have let them off the hook paying no more chips to the pot. Hand #3: Jc3s fairly easy lay down to a 3x preflop raise from the shortest stack on the table. Hand #4: Kh8h Again on the little blind I preflop raise this suited king and get the fold. Hand #5 QsJs on the button Getting some good opening cards for 3 handed play. The 3x preflop raise gets the blinds to fold the chips my way. Hand #6 9d7d on the big blind. This hand was only 2x preflop raised by the button. Little blind called. I just had to call 30 chips to take a flop for a pot of 180 chips. 6:1 odds is a reason to almost never use the 2x from the button (IMO). It just makes about all draws mathematically correct helping the opponent to play correctly. I flopped 2 pair, bottom and middle. I may have made an error betting all-in here. They fold out. Hand #7 5d2s Button goes all-in so easy fold. The big blind calls with the medium suited Ace with a bigger stack. Spikes the 7 and holds to knock out jpjc. I have the chip lead going into heads up play. Hand #8 QdQh Got a little excited here and pushed all-in. Guess I should have stuck with the standard 3x preflop raise to get some action maybe. They folded. Hand #9 10c6d Its a just a little too good to fold preflop heads up. He has only once been minorly aggressive with a 2x preflop raise. So decided to limp in and see what happens. I whiff the flop but make a bet at it hoping that they did also. The fold is given betting in position. Hand #10 Jd9c Sometimes is just all falls together. They limp in allowing me to take a flop. I flop real good getting 2 pair again. This time top and bottom. I bet 45 into the pot of 60. They jam all in. They could have any combination of KQ or 8Q or 78 for straights. There are 48 combinations of cards that would make those hands. Would they bet so much if they were that strong? I think maybe they would with the bottom and middle straights. I decide to take the risk and call. Mostly because I am not disciplined enough to fold. But also because I don't mind gambling on a full house draw if they were ahead. I see I am well ahead and just have to fade kings to start with. The turn gives them 2 more outs picking up a draw on the 5's. Thankfully the hand holds. A very unusual occurrence. I am sure AmericasCardroom does real well with the jackpot game. Most of the time they only pay out $4 for $6 dollars worth of entries collected. Considering the short amount of time it takes and the small chance to play for a large pot for very cheap its a good trade-off.