A few weeks ago I was down in Ibiza and played Estrellas Poker Tour. I was there with GoalWin's Pro Team and this hand was played by the team member Vytautas Milbutas from Lithuania.

The blinds are currently 500/1.000 with 100 ante. Vytautas is the button with 24k and has been sitting down at the table for three orbits without playing a single hand. This is on day 2 and it is still about 100 players left (ITM is 45 players). In the SB and BB are two young talented players with big stacks (between 80-100k). They have been very active and aggressive so far.

All players fold to the CO (an older gentleman who has been limping and calling raises earlier) and he limps into the pot. Vytautas is looking down at AJs and it is his turn to act.

He asked me later how I'd acted in this hand and from the beginning it was obvious to me what the best play was. On second thought this hand gnawed a little in the back of my head and now I'm not as sure anymore. I will not write how he played it and how he reasoned about the hand, since I do not want to influence your thinking too much. I might return to that in the comments.

How would you play the hand, and why?

Please note, it is the reasoning that is interesting and not the end result!