Poker How To Play Pocket Pairs
But if you misplay them your chip stack could be seriously suffering.
Poker how to play pocket pairs. You can play low pocket pairs more often in low mid stakes live games. Pocket pairs from 22 right up to aa can be played profitably with the right strategy even if hands like aa and kk are a lot more exciting to play. The most critical element of playing small pocket pairs is position. Splitsuit explains how baby pairs aka small pocket pairs really hit the flop.
Additionally postflop spewing is common in live games which increases our implied odds. Regardless of the flop texture unless you hit your set you re basically folding these hands especially when there s one or more overcards on the board or. Preflop squeezing is uncommon in these games so it s unlikely we will be blown off our hand preflop. Let s define small pocket pairs as pocket sevens or lower and poor position from under the gun to middle position.
These low pairs are deceptively strong and will often land novice players in a lot of trouble if they are over valued. How to play small pocket pairs. However many players make costly mistakes with small pocket pairs like chasing sets too often. So let s start with possibly the worst play in poker which also happens to be the best example of misplaying pocket pairs.
Watch splitsuit s baby pairs video for 33 minutes of strategy dedicated to playing small pocket pairs. You already had an idea how to play pocket pairs when you re set mining or holding a monster but you might get a little confused about how to play pocket pairs when you re holding tt in early position. Use the pocket pairs table below to find out the odds of being dealt different ranges of pocket pairs during a game of texas hold em. 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.
The poker tips below might help your poker game in that regard. Pocket pairs can be some of the most profitable hands in poker. Small pocket pairs range from 22 to 66 where any other higher pair would be considered to be a medium or high pocket pair. The 88 12 breakdown is true for all small pairs although how you value the 88 is up for debate.
This guide outlines how the pros play their small pocket pairs in poker tournaments.