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,

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.