Allgamer.com

Hello,

First I would like to commend you for this nice site. Keep up the good work.

Well, I’m actually here to ask you something. I’m just a newbie and have actually tried playing small pocket pairs recently. The experience was really intriguing.

At a certain table, I had 22 with a similar flop of 2 6 T rainbow. Unfortunately, because other players who called preflop had 66, I didn’t win such hand. Also he called post flop. I thought I then bet the river but later on discovered things went differently, also called post flop.

After the flop I was really troubled. I was thinking what if someone started with starting hands like 55, TT, 52s, T5s and even T2s that was being slow played and could eventually beat me with a draw on the turn or else on the river.

Now, is it the nature of the betting scenario that creates the confidence to play small pairs or is it an odds or probability scenario? Any thoughts? By the way, any specific way I should play small pocket pairs? Most of the time, I play limit holdem tournament style.

Thanks and more power!

Regards,
Phillip
Phillip,

Small pairs in limit are usually playable, sometimes to a raise in later position. You still want to hit the flop hard with them. When you do flop your set, bet your hand aggressively. The odds of a player flopping a set is around 11% so don’t worry about another player flopping a set too. It happens and when they flop a bigger set, you will lose usually, but that is just part of the game. Most of the time, you will win a nice pot with your set.

Hello,

A certain player asked you once about losing or barely breaking even at low limit where no one ever folds and you told him that he has to loosen up a little to adjust with skill or self control matters and then later on be able to play more hands and think about post flop instead of preflop odds.

Recently, I was involved in a particular situation that has something to do with the concern above of a certain player. Well, I’ve seen flop rates of 80-90%. At least half the time, 9 out of 10 players have called or raised the flop. I then concluded that it was a bit impossible for them to later hit a gut shot straight or back door flush however when 9 appears on every hand, maybe just at least one of them might hit any moment.

At the table back then, I was the 10th and was actually bothered of players playing J3 off suit, not folding to my raises while I was on pocket kings, seeing 5 or more go to the river on every hand that comes long and a gut shot straight pulling down the pot itself. Almost everyone were playing baldy then and so no one seemed to lose or win. I badly want to win the pots but it seemed so hard for me as some players had taken down the pots with 38 off in moments when I have raised with my trips.

I’m actually really curious now, I believe I played very tight then however loosened up a little later, how come I lost with a lot of chases to the flop and the like? Maybe instead of loosening up a little, I should have just played more tighter, what do you think?

Well, because a straight or better seems to win every hand, I believe I need to stop playing for pairs, even top ones. Not playing anything less than KTs sounds sensible to me. Maybe I’ll just call any pair to the flop and fold if I don’t hit a trip. Also call suited connectors to the flop and get out if I don’t hit.

What do you think of my plan? Please I need to hear from you.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Anthony
Anthony,

In games that you are in, you need to loosen up your requirements. In hand in which you can see flops cheap, any pair, any suited ace, any two big cards 10 and up. Most suited connectors and gapers from 7-8 and up, and even unsuited connectors 8-9 and up are playable. If you flop or connect with a pair, you are usually staying in to the end as you are getting the right price. The same is true of open ended straight and flush draws. Don’t chase gutshots too much as you don’t have but 4 outs to hit your hand. If you hit a big hand, push the hand and get more money in the pot to win bigger pots when you hit.

Hello,

Just last year, I started to seriously play Holdem. Well, I’m not fond of reading so I haven’t read most of the Texas Holdem books. However, I regularly watched ESPN.

As of the moment, I’m into online poker. I actually started as an average player in “online standards” however just after few weeks I changed and became very tight. Tight in a way that I already fold pairs, 9s or less in a long to medium table. I believed then that there was nothing wrong as I typically end up being on the top 3 out of 10. And for several times, I finished first about just half the time.

I really believe in starting tight and getting more tight as the game progresses down to 6 – 5 players then gradually loosing up when down to 4 once down to 3. And when there’s a need to be aggressive, then be aggressive.

I played with the above approach for some time. However, things started to change when I tried playing in tables with terrible players. I started witnessing really bad beats more often than usual. I also then discovered the huge difference in the skill level of various tables $10, $20, $30, $50, $100, and $200. Later, I decided to go down from $200 to $100 and much later to $5. Sad to say, my luck wasn’t that significant, for once in 10 games, I ended up on the bottom.

Can you feel it, the lower I go the worst it gets? For a number of times, I lose with trip As for nothing with a flush draw in the river, with straights to flushes and even to Quads on the turn and river. I don’t know what went wrong.

Any thoughts?

Warm regards,
Bill
Bill,

The bad players are at the lower levels. Some of this is due to their play and some is due to the normal variance you will see in poker, especially online poker. It sounds like your approach is working, but realize that when you play solid poker, you will take some bad beats. Also, you should loosen your card holdings depending on position. Folding all pairs below 9’s sounds excessively tight just based on the information you have given. Work on opening your hand ranges up in position and as the tournament gets later.

Hello,

I want to ask something, it’s about pocket pairs particularly pocket 10′s and below. Well, some said it is far better to raise with strong pocket pairs as you prefer to play them against fewer players. But how about with lower pocket raise? And how do you normally play them from early, middle, and even late position?

Hope to hear from you.

Thank you so much and nice site!

Regards,
Dave
Dave,

From early and middle position, I try and limp in with my pairs in the event to hit a set. In late position I will raise with them. I am still hoping to hit a set, but if its gotten to late position without a raise, my pair may be best and maybe I can take the pot there.

Hello,

I’ve been into micro-stakes no limit holdem online. Typically I play at .10/.25, $25 max buy-in. Ever since, I don’t know already how to play pocket pairs, more specifically 10′s and lower. As of the moment, I’ve been applying what you advised before to a particular player and things have been running smoothly. But I still have some clarifications.

At what point do you stop limping in with pocket pairs? Is there any magic value I should consider so that I can isolate one or more players? 9′s, 10′s, J’s? Normally, it appears to me as good thing when lots of players are in preflop with a small raise and I call with a low pocket pair and hit the set, however it’s also at times a bad thing when I lost lots of money as I can’t get out of a set. I admit I can’t teach myself how to get out of a set and I don’t have the discipline as well. Oftentimes, I get burned on the turn or river bets and end up losing two times or more of what I typically win when I play with sets.

Any thoughts now? By the way, in order to have more money in the pot, will you not anymore isolate players with anything? Except A, K or Q’s?

I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you very much.

All the best,
Chris
Chris,

In early and middle position, I like to limp with pairs up to 9’s to try and hit a set. 10’s and up I tend to raise. In late position, I will raise most any pair above 5’s. Sometimes I will raise 5’s too if the blinds are the only players left.

You can try and isolate players with other hands other than big pairs, but if you do so, you must at least fire out a continuation bet on the flop, even if you miss. Otherwise, when you miss with you’re A-K, you will look like someone who missed with A-K.