The Best Way to Play Pocket Pairs Č Pocket pairs are without a doubt are the greatest starting cards, and also the hardest to chase. Many texas holdem players especially when they’re first learning the game of poker, use an overpair when hole cards like pocket 7’s or pocket queens and etc. But, what if you’re playing a pocket pair and you’re set to go all in against a single raiser or a small ball player?
The answer is so far more often than not, that’s to play it out, call all in, and see if you happen to hit your set. There’s a reason pocket pairs are valued at four of a kind versus one of a kind, pocket pairs win more often than any hand that can win with a flop like QQ, or JJ.
But, if you’re playing literally at any seat at the table, your pocket pairs can be a liability. Let’s say you have 97s (this is the best position to be in a pokerbo game, it’s the smallest amount of money that you can safely bet with as soon as all the pocket pairs are out on the table. If you’re in early position, you could play AA, and if you’re in late position, you could play JJ. The reason this is the case is simple, the biggest raisers are generally position players, and they tend to value their blinds more than their profits, therefore giving them more consideration when making a decision to call.
If you have absolutely no idea what to do with pocket pairs, well, you are probably better off throwing them away, especially if you have more money in the pot than you really should be. Calling with pocket pairs preflop is almost always a bad play, but calling into a strong bet after giving away your small pocket pair is actually the opposite end of the stick.
If you are at all a beginner, I strongly suggest playing out some small pocket pairs or Kings off and around 75-85% of the time (depending if you have position or not). These are hands that can win you a lot of money in low limit games against good players. If you get called and don’t have a very strong hand, or if you make a decent hand, you can either get out of the hand, and take a small profit, or induce a bluff and survive.
Unlike suited connectors, your hand will typically be likely to lose if another player draws out on you. Since your pair is unlikely to be the best hand, you want to make sure that you don’t expose your set to obvious draws. Easiest and most profitable way to do this is to either not play your hand at all, or if you are in early position, to make a small bet of around 4-5 times the big blind. This action tells the other players, that although your hand may be very strong, you are not putting your money in the pot without some sort of hand.
The date when you make your set is largely up to the individual, as it could also signify a length of time you’ve been playing with a particular hand. Personally, I recommend you wait at least three times the big blind before calling a preflop raise, in early position, with the intention of making a c-bet. After which, you can reasonably consider raising to any amount you like, since you will have given yourself a chance to win with the best hand.
For instance, if you have a small set that ends up better than the flop after two players have called the blinds and you decide to lead out with a raise of 3.5 times the big blind, you will typically get one or two callers. If you happen to get re-raised preflop, you can comfortably expect one or two fold to your larger raise. This gives you an idea of where your hand is at, and allows you to make a judgement as to whether or not you should risk your current hand or wait for a better set.
For instance, if the flop is 2h-6h-9c, you are more inclined to want to keep your chances of a straight or flush alive, and punting with a set is not such a bad option either. Hence you can be sure that your opponent(s) will be putting a bit of money in the pot, hoping for a different set. Knowing this, you can then call or possibly double the bet. Obviously, this is a much safer move than folding a hand, and hoping to make your set.
Be warned that Systems like the one discussed in this article do not guarantee an automatic win, and should only be used as a guide with the utmost caution.