Poker How To Play Low Pocket Pairs
Splitsuit explains how baby pairs aka small pocket pairs really hit the flop.
Poker how to play low pocket pairs. These low pairs are deceptively strong and will often land novice players in a lot of trouble if they are over valued. Pocket pairs including 2 2 to 7 7 might seem like good starting hands in short handed play however by the time you get into post flop action the cards become very difficult to play. But if you misplay them your chip stack could be seriously suffering. Small pocket pairs range from 22 to 66 where any other higher pair would be considered to be a medium or high pocket pair.
This guide outlines how the pros play their small pocket pairs in poker tournaments. How to play small pocket pairs. Pocket pairs can be some of the most profitable hands in poker. You can play low pocket pairs more often in low mid stakes live games.
However many players make costly mistakes with small pocket pairs like chasing sets too often. The most critical element of playing small pocket pairs is position. So let s start with possibly the worst play in poker which also happens to be the best example of misplaying pocket pairs. Let s define small pocket pairs as pocket sevens or lower and poor position from under the gun to middle position.
The value of low pocket pairs shoots up towards the final table. Additionally postflop spewing is common in live games which increases our implied odds. In poker low pocket pairs are considered to be the cards from a pair of deuces to a pair of sevens. There s no room for post flop play or limping and taking down the pot pre flop is very profitable.
The 88 12 breakdown is true for all small pairs although how you value the 88 is up for debate. Preflop squeezing is uncommon in these games so it s unlikely we will be blown off our hand preflop. Tips for playing low pocket pairs. So even though any pair can look good these small pocket pairs which normally need improvement to prevail in a showdown need to be approached with caution.
Watch splitsuit s baby pairs video for 33 minutes of strategy dedicated to playing small pocket pairs.
