Usually small pocket pairs are played for the principal objective of catching a trio, cause what that happens you have the real potential of earning, hopefully from someone with a good hand. Limping should be avoided, no matter how tempting it might be to “set the trap ” or “ set mine ” with it. Multi-way pots after the flop. A wired pair is similar to a pocket pair, except in five card stud it refers to a door card that pairs the hole card. Jacks are technically the better pre-flop hand versus any two random cards but jacks also have an unfortunate habit of losing massive. There are 13 pairs in Hold’em (22 – AA) and for each there are 6 ways to be dealt. What this means is. If you’re seated anywhere between the Hijack and the Small Blind, go. Analyzing situations when it’s worth opening with. In other words, we're talking primarily about small. Small pocket pairs, particularly at the lower limits in real money games, are often overlooked by newer poker players, even though they can be some of your biggest long-term winners. Poker Rules; Poker Hands; Poker Games; Poker Terms; Online Poker with Friends;Pocket eights are to be played to do one of two things: trip-up on the flop so that you have a very good set, or steal the pot by managing the hand as if it is, or could be, stronger than it really is. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. How to play against a re-raise. Pocket pairs are a rather polarizing hand in that you either hit the board pretty hard or you miss completely. For flushes on the flop assuming you have suited pocket cards and where you need 3 cards of the same suit you need to muliply the odds of each card being of the suit you need, not add them: 11 out of 50 = 22% for first card - multiplied by. In PLO, the 1/8 times you hit your set, you can still lose enough times that it doesn't justify playing it. Cons: Lack of implied odds for set mining. In the case of having low pocket pairs, the position becomes even more important and, as usual, several factors need to be considered. Let’s say you called a 3-bet preflop and the board comes A-J-5 rainbow. But if the a player squeezed to a very small size, say 2. I would still throw away the small pairs preflop, if someone raises much (again - depending on. ago. I'm a bit of a newbie to poker and started playing online, this situation seems to be one that has screwed me over more than a few times. Sure, if you have pocket Aces or pocket Kings, you are indeed presented with increased positive value for the hand you’re about to play, but most of the time, your pocket pair will be something like 7s, 3s, 8s or 6s. Being the one who initiates the action, or someone who follows, determines how to enter a hand. If you can get in all the money before the flop, kudos to you, as you’ll likely be ahead of your opponent’s range. . Pocket pairs can be some of the most profitable hands in poker. While it seems like you get dealt pairs a lot, the actual odds of receiving any pocket pair is just 5. When facing a raise you have to think about your opponent. 8824% or 1 : 16. When you hit a monster hand on a flop like or , start piling money in that pot! If you raised preflop, c-bet on the flop. When the turn pairs the middle card after you’ve c-bet the flop, you should play a tight double barrel strategy. In Omaha Hold ’em, a pocket pair would mean you have two same cards in your. You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. The problem is that you’re risking a lot of money upfront, only to concede it a large majority of time postflop. 8% of the time, as mentioned. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. The flop is J♠ 7 ♥ 6 ♦ and the Big Blind checks. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. A pocket pair is when a player is dealt two cards of the same rank, such as two aces or two sixes. We’ll look. #13. You only have like a one in ten chance of hitting a set, which means on average you should try and make 10x your return of your preflop bet to make the strategy of set mining profitable. When your two hole cards in Texas Hold’em make a pair, you hold a “pocket pair. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. Particularly in Texas Hold’em poker, the position at every hand is key in making a strategic decision. Whether it’s in a single raised pot (SRP) or 3bet+ pot, and for lesser experienced. Tip #1: When in position, always bet for value This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. Stack sizes also dictate the value of your small pair. In the case of having low pocket pairs, the position becomes even more important and, as usual, several factors need to be considered. Most of the value in small pocket pairs comes from when they flop a set, which will only happen 11. Want to learn how to play pocket pairs in cash games? Read this guide: How to Play Low Pocket Pairs in Cash Games « View All Poker Terms. If you hit a set then you should play your hand very aggressively. Betting while having the equity lead (which you will almost always have as the preflop raiser) will ensure that you are building the pot while being the favored one. Pocket jacks is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em. By contrast hands like suited connectors, suited aces, and small pocket pairs can play well against multiple opponents. You’re going to come up against a lot of different scenarios when playing. 4. Pocket pairs are a favorite type of hand for many players. The chance that you're opponent may fold increasing the profit from playing this hand considerably. 2. In Limit Holdem low pocket pairs can be played in virtually any position without a 3bet. Pocket Twos have the best efficiency of all the pocket pairs because almost every hand has two overcards against it. Obviously I used PowerPoint to help. Categorizing Pocket Pairs and How to Play Them. Set mining means calling preflop with a small pocket pair with the intention of hitting a set postflop and taking down a big pot. The whole concept of PLO preflop hand selection and hand strength is a bit more complicated than in holdem. The low pocket pairs from 44 to 22 are weak hands that you should never play as a raise first in from early positions. Smaller pairs, also known as pocket sevens or lower, are made up of low-value cards, specifically 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6. US Online Poker. What are Small Pocket Pairs, And How to Play Them? Small pocket pairs range from 2-2 to 6-6, anything higher is regarded as medium or premium pairs. Imagine a board such as after you’ve called a 3-bet with from the Button against the Small Blind. Your goal is still to flop a set, but your post-flop play will. Similar to suited connectors, there are better ways than others to go about playing pocket pairs in poker. Pocket pairs are commonly described to particularly by their rank, for as “pocket aces” for a starting hand of two Aces (aka pocket rockets). 5-to-1 against, so you’ll obviously miss hitting a set more often than not. No matter what. You have two big ways to win the pot post-flop with better odds at a bigger stack: Hit the Set, or check-raise dry boards. It’s one of the best feelings in the game of Texas. Pocket Pairs. e. Besides the usual flush and. If you raise with these pocket pairs you’re building a pot with a weak hand. Without going into the math, it’s simply strong enough to 3-bet as part of a linear range. On this board, your normal bet size should be on the bigger side and vary from around 2/3 of the pot to 75%. In general, a pocket pair refers to a hand in which you have two matching cards, more commonly known as a pair. If you’re at a 9-handed table, the best baseline strategy is to fold Pocket Fives from the 3 earliest positions (UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2). The notation 22+ means you should be playing 22 and all other higher-ranking pocket. Mostly call to see a cheap flop as the chances of hitting a Set (Three of a Kind) is 10. As previously mentioned, normally the top pairs you hit with Ace-Five will not be not strong enough to value bet with for three streets, so you should often. However, they put $100 each, so that’s 48% of $500, i. Many players try to play middle and smaller pairs from early position. 1% – a drop of 52. A small pair is going to flop a set or better about 12% of the time, which means it will also miss the flop the other 88% of the time. Players don’t play poker in a vacuum; each player’s hand must measure up against his opponent’s, especially if a player goes all-in before the flop. What is a Pocket Pair in Poker: A Concise Guide for. 7 percent. 5x the original raise, you can justifiably call with your lowest pocket pairs. See the flop and then act! Another way to approach pocket tens might be to consider your position first. Search titles only. g. In hold'em it can be profitable to play pocket pairs because the 1/8 times you hit your set, you can really stack a dude. If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. A “set” refers to three-of-a-kind using pocket pairs and “trips” refers to a three-of-a-kind using one hole card and 2 community cards. That "set flopping potential" is what makes them play good in pots with four or more. 1. ” Yes, you have a high pair in the form of two Aces, but you aren’t faring so well because of your low kicker. This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. Do not get too enthusiastic with small pairs. How to Play Pocket Nines on Different Board Textures As mentioned in the introduction, hands like pocket nines can be very tricky to play correctly, particularly postflop. From early position its completely fine to just fold or you can semi-bluff raise a small percentage of the time, I know low pairs make up a limping range for some guys but I personally don’t include them. There is a lot to learn about how to play. How to play with pairs on hand? How many times to raise, for example, with pairs smaller than 10/10? Forum. Particularly in Texas Hold’em poker, the position at every hand is key in making a strategic decision. They’re made hands and you’ve got a big pair already, even if you don’t improve. Hand. In a full-ring game of nine players, it’s rarely a good idea. And combination of hearts and straight cards and possible over pairs. You have a 12% chance of flopping a set (making three of a kind on the flop), and you have fairly good odds of making an opponent with an overpair or top pair go bust. So you’ll be flopping a set fairly infrequently but when you do you’ve got a very good chance of winning the hand. It is essential to evaluate the playing field and see if the raise would be beneficial by thinning out the field. Medium to small pocket pairs can win you money in 3 ways: You can make a set and win a lot from someone who made a good but worse hand. The basic scoring rules, along with all these variants, are conveniently listed on our free Farkle score sheets and scoring and rules summary. Small Pocket Pairs are a Drawing Hand. If you hit a set then you should play your hand very aggressively. There is a lot to learn about how to play. Hands like suited connectors and all pocket pairs rise in value. From the Big Blind. How to Play Pocket Queens Preflop. Therefore, playing high pocket pairs properly pre-flop and eliminating the limpers is crucial to setting up post-flop play. Paired Hands (Pocket Pairs) Paired Hands are also called pocket pairs. In this video we are going to talk about how to play with low pocket pairs on the pre-flop. Small pocket pairs might look nice as a starting hand, but you should be dumping most of them in early position. Playing underpairs optimally can help you make more money in the long run. IMO pocket pairs is a must play in fishy 1/2 stakes. They should be raised from. Unopened Pots. One of the most interesting situations in poker is when a player has Ace King (AK) and faces a pocket pair. Good understanding of what are the odds when playing small pocket pairs in various scen. For an improved article-browsing experience, go to our primary blog page here and use the check boxes at. Tip #3: If the board is paired, always fire a c-bet. engjosh88 • 11 yr. If you are checking and calling, you are missing out on a prime opportunity to force. Oct 16, 2014. Warnings (play with caution) - Over cards on the board, possible straights, flushes, the board is paired. Pocket Pairs are some of the trickiest hole cards to play. When you flop two pair, trips, a straight or a flush, you should basically always play your. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. How ICM Should Impact Your Play at Final Tables with Different Stack Sizes. One focuses on pocket pairs and figuring out how many combos of things like sets, full houses, and quads a player can make. This means you have a 5. 5. But, limping UTG lets you draw more opponents into the pot and. And so in this article I am going to show you step by step how to play your pocket queens more profitably. After the flop you need to put your opponent on a range and analyze the strength of your hand before deciding how to proceed. How to Play Pocket Aces . Pocket Sevens are a very strong starting hand, falling within the top 6-7% of all starting hands. This turns a small profit situation to a negative expectation situation. That’s why calling 3-bets with small pocket pairs is usually a losing play. Good understanding of what are the odds when playing small pocket pairs in various scen. ” “Pocket aces,” for example, refers to getting a pair of aces as your hole cards. If any ace is 52% or better to win, it only makes sense that any pocket pair is even more valuable. Most people on button have a wider range, which means a weaker range. Take your pocket pair, and take a good long look at it from an objective perspective. When the preflop raiser has fewer than 60 big blinds in their stack, you should be less inclined to 3-bet suited connectors, particularly low ones like 65s or 76s. Against five players with hands from the example, you’ll win 48% of the time. Let’s begin!The best way to play your small pocket pairs in poker is to set mine with them. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Since I know many of you have asked me about playing mid pocket pairs in cash game, especially from out of position, I decided to make this quick Hand of the. 340. With a pocket pair JJ to play better against one or two opponents. While it seems like you get dealt pairs a lot, the actual odds of receiving any pocket pair is just 5. Smaller Pairs. You can play a much wider range pre-flop because the implied odds are so much greater. You cannot call large three-bets pre-flop if you want to have a positive expectation. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. The Odds of Being Dealt Pocket Pairs. 22-66 Fold 77-99 Raise to standard for table, figure out how deep you are to see if you can profitably set-mine if 3-bet, fold to 4-bet. Another time when it makes sense to bluff with low pocket pairs is when you can’t find enough natural bluffs on the river. Certainly, hands like 2-2 to 5-5 should be folded to any LP raise. 888poker investigates how often you should be playing them and whether to raise, call or fold. Raises before the flop can work well with middle pocket pairs; however this does not mean that you should make a raise just because you think you have a good pair. In this article, we’re going to look at some common scenarios to help you play pocket tens more effectively. Even though they are pretty weak hands, playing them wrong will cost you expected value continuously. Mostly call to see a cheap flop as the chances of hitting a Set (Three of a Kind) is 10. When someone plays back, I can fold without any real worries. Playing Big Pocket Pairs. When you’re in the Big Blind facing a raise, you should: Vs Lojack or earlier – Fold every time. A “pocket pair” is a pair that a player possesses in his beginning hand in a Hold’em game. How to Play Medium Pocket Pairs Next up, we’re going to take a closer look at how to play medium pocket pairs. There is a min-raise from MP2, a small 3bet from the button, and hero decides to call. For example, A ♠ A ♥, A ♠ A ♦, A ♠ A ♣, A ♥ A ♦, A ♥ A ♣, A ♦ A ♣. In Texas Hold ’em, a pocket pair means you were dealt a pair right away and, in many cases, can really get stronger with the flop, turn, and river. Today's H. 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. Put simply, pocket queens is the third best hand in No Limit Hold'em. So what this means is that every 9 times you see the flop with a pocket pair you should flop a set at least once. There are 3 types of positions you are going to be in, in relation to your. Sep 4, 2020. To help. Im finding this 10/1 implied odds is a load of rubbish, the chance of flopping a set is 1/8 i believe, now some of those times you wont win and you will probably lose a big pot, and the times you. Naturally, the lower down the pocket pair, the less value it has. How to Play Strong Pocket Pairs 1. This means that you should try to hit 3 of a kind with your small pocket pairs on the flop. Set mining is only one of many possible approaches to take when playing small-to-medium pairs. Your goal is still to flop a set, but your post-flop play will. Playing Pocket Jacks - Fishhooks or Jokers. Betting while having the equity lead (which you will almost always have as the preflop raiser) will ensure that you are building the pot while being the favored one. Poker Articles. Being able to join a limp fest versus being raised. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. But you shouldn’t always just check and fold with an underpair. Since flushes and trips increase in value, suited hands and pocket pairs increase in value. Even though they are pretty weak hands, playing them wrong will cost you expected value continuously. Here are some tips on how to play middle pocket pairs effectively:Here is the advanced pocket pair strategy you can use to start winning much more. Tip #3: If the board is paired, always fire a c-bet. However, they put $100 each, so that’s 48% of $500, i. Facing A Cold-3Bet With Pocket Tens. Pocket Pairs. Unlike small pairs, which you usually play for their set value, or big hands that are played for their face value, suited connectors are somewhere in between, and this leads to many complicated postflop spots. Small pocket pairs (66 through 22) are more speculative hands, so they are best played as set mines when the stack sizes are very deep. Pre-Flop Probabilities: Hand vs. 9 out of 48 = 18% - third card. 86. in a HU situation AK is better than low pocket pairs and also easily to play after flop, actually against more than one villain. It’s subjective and depends on a lot of different factors including table position, chip stacks, the blinds, and, of course, how you assess your opponents. Pocket pairs can also suck out and make full houses. How to Play Suited Poker Hands. How to Play Big Pocket Pairs in Cash Games Big pocket pairs will usually be your biggest money makers…. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. In this article, we’ll. Playable in any position - Stronger opening bets mixed with limps or calls, Play this one fast if you are ahead on the flop. If no set and no cards over 10 flop. These include two jacks, two queens, two kings and two aces. The ability to go all-in profitably with small pocket pairs when short-stacked makes them straightforward and easy to play. The chance that you're opponent may fold increasing the profit from playing this hand considerably. When you’re in the Big Blind facing a raise, you should never fold King-Jack suited. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. In Limit Holdem low pocket pairs can be played in virtually any position without a 3bet. Understanding the Basics of Pocket Pairs. 4. The turn T ♥ checks through and the river is the 4♣. With this in mind, the small pocket pairs will give you a good feel of how the game is going to progress without you rushing into mistakes that will cost you the pot. Given the presence of the ante, the players are incentivized to play loose ranges preflop to attack the dead money in the pot. You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. 1. Hitting that card offers the potential for a big pot – depending on the board. For example, let’s compare an 8♠ 8♣ 6♦ flop with a K♠ K♥ 8♥ flop. Hello, i've been playing a lot of cash games online lately, mostly 0,05/0,10, and dont really know how to play big pocket pairs after flop when there is an overcard. 1. A2-AT Fold AJo: fold AJs: Raise - but it's the absolute bottom of my range here, and I fold to many 3-bets. Baby pairs, "small pocket pairs" or just "small pairs" refer to the lowest group of pocket-pair starting hands in Texas Hold'em, usually ranging from 22 to 66. In other words it's a little bit like set-mining apart from the fact that we have a chunk of fold-equity preflop too. When an Ace hits the Flop. You can either open the pot 4xBBs or you can limp. You don't need to double up or stack someone EVERY TIME you hit a set, limping in for 2 bucks and winning a 60-100 dollar pot with a set is a great result. Suppose you are playing $1/$3 no-limit hold'em and before the flop, you raise to $12 in early position with a pair of jacks. You can get to showdown and beat someone with no pair or a smaller pair. It is important to be able to properly play the flop when you do not connect. Pot odds and mathematics of hitting a set. When the flop is Ten or Nine-high, you have a strong top pair that is very vulnerable to future cards. Three pairs = 500 points. This means there are: 16 possible hand combinations of every unpaired hand. You’re almost always going to see an overcard, and it isn’t always easy to know where you stand. See moreThere are many ways to play pocket pairs in No-Limit Hold’em, but only a few are correct, and knowing the difference between the right way and the wrong way is going to save you money. These hands are. By the way, just to be clear, I’m referring to the numbers 22, 33, 44, 55, and 66 in this post. 1. All top, middle, and bottom pairs; Most pocket pairs without a backdoor flush draw; All pocket pairs with a backdoor flush draw; All flush draws; Some double backdoor hands (like 7 ♦ 6 ♦). . One such advantage comes in the form of pocket pairs. Danger pairs play a lot like middle pairs, but will occasionally hold their own against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8. A step below the A-K, A-Q is often called Little Slick. It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. Lock your seat now! The Advanced Solver Ranges for cash games — one of six sets of preflop charts in the Upswing Lab. Once you get a set, playing passively is the last thing you want to do. Raising from early position pre-flop gives your opponents the impression you have a premium hand. In other words, the play will win chips, but lose dollars in the long run. When someone plays back, I can fold without any real worries. Remember, the majority of hands heads-up are won by a high card or a single pair. There are thirteen different pocket pairs (one for each rank) and six different ways of making each. The less opponents in the hand the better. All pocket pairs can be danger hands, but small pairs are especially so. 45% of the time. A pocket pair refers to having two cards of the same rank in your hand, such as two aces or two kings. We will cover: What are Pocket Pairs? Pre-Flop Strategy: Position and Hand Selection Playing Small Pocket Pairs (Deuces through Fives) Playing Medium Pocket Pairs (Sixes through Nines) Playing High Pocket Pairs (Tens through Aces) Adjusting Play Based on Stack Sizes Post-Flop Play with Pocket Pairs. Tom’s check is best here even though he has all the pocket pairs up to Aces in his. Example: A K , K Q . 3 Tips for Playing When You Hit Top Pair on the Flop with Ace-Jack Suited. Example: You raise 3♠ 3♣ on the Button and the Big Blind calls. Any two cards of the same suit make a suited poker hand. In the good old' days of poker when edges were slightly bigger and players weren't punished for their mistakes as severely as they are today, the recipe for success with 22-66 was pretty simple - always raise first, always cold call, try to flop a set and get a big payday. Maximizing Profit with Pocket Pairs: A Comprehensive Guide. Always Raise or Re-Raise Preflop With Your Pocket Queens. How to Play Strong Pocket Pairs. At a six-handed table, however, the odds another player has a higher pocket pair are reduced to 16. Pocket pairs are one of the most exciting. If there are 2 or more players in the pot preflop and you get to close the action (to the left of the last raise) with a pocket pair, this is typically a very profitable spot and you should make the call. (this isn't…Right now, your 5-card hand is a pair of Aces with a Jack kicker (A-A-J-8-6). Playing Aggressively on Each Street. Sets will hold up versus a premium pair like kings or aces roughly 90% of the time, which are some of. Flopping a set with your small pocket pair is always an encouraging. Instead, your strategy should be to scare the opponents into folding, even if it requires a bit of bluffing. Trips and two pair are bread-and-butter value-betting hands. . --- Latest Poker News at ---Middle position you can open, but I wouldn't limp or call any bet. However. A meta game technique is to raise, typically in position. The reason for this is pretty obvious—discounting the times you flop a set, the value of middling pocket pairs postflop tend to be, well, middling. For example, you have on . . Let’s not forget that pocket Kings are a great starting hand in hold’em and will win you a lot of chips over the long term. If we miss our set, we check/fold. If you play the hand hard and fast you will lose a big pot against anything other than an overplayed top pair. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. If it's cash game, you may want to play any pocket pair to hit the set on the flop. That’s a lot of missing, but the 12% of the time we. They are actually very easy to play as 3bets. 10 out of 49 = 20% - second card - multiplied by. Mistake #4: Playing Too Passively Postflop. If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. Set mining refers to the practice of playing a non-premium pocket pair passively preflop in the hopes of flopping three of a kind (a "set"). In this video you will learn how to play small pocket pairs in poker. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. But if the a player squeezed to a very small size, say 2. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. that betting dilutes the value of your hand and being otherwise. Factors influencing the value of small pairs . For this reason, many players will refuse to play pocket pairs below fives. Once you hit a Set, try to maximize your profit by. . 8%. But if you do choose to play a pocket pair passively before the flop by calling a raise, be sure to. You’ll remember the times you got dealt A-A when playing poker online, but in actual fact you only receive them 0. Raising and Betting. Any raise and you can be sure there is an over pocket pair or something like an A-10 or A-J staring at you. . In a $1/2 game, playing pocket deuces from the button makes more sense if you and the other limpers have $300 rather. Poker Basics. Online Poker » Poker Strategy » Texas Hold Em » Playing Pocket Queens. If I hit the flop hard, then it depends on the action of the table, but I usually end up with a big pot. It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. Pockets Kings are the second-best starting hand in poker. ). The other important notation you’ll often see is “+”, which can mean different things depending on what hand it’s attached to. Such plays should be avoided because winning real money — not temporary chips — is your goal as a tournament player. The other reference for AQ is Rocket Queen, because the A is a rocket and it pairs with a Guns & Roses song. The following is a list of nicknames for pairs of two playing cards, usually hole cards, used in poker derivatives such as Texas hold ’em and Omaha hold. The best way to play pocket pairs in this instance is simply to set mine, if you make a set on the flop you have a really strong hand, if you miss you can get out of the way without losing too. If you want to learn how to play specific starting hands like a pro, read one of the articles below. How to play AQ, AJ, and AT – New No Bullshit 6-max 15. 4. A premium pocket pair such as pocket aces is going to win you a small pot a lot of the time, but it can lead to trouble when you fall in love with the hand. In contrast, you can expect to receive any pocket pair once every 35 minutes on average. It sure looks like a premium hand, but it’s essentially a mid-sized pocket pair. Small Pairs. 5% of the time (1/8) , which means you’ll need at least 7:1 pot-odds to call opening raises. When you have pocket aces in your hand, it’s important that you try to build the pot quickly. Small pocket pairs: Small pocket pairs are the hardest hands to play and bet on. They are two cards of the same rank; for example, A♥ A♦ and K♦ K♣. * *The solver elects to raise with some of these hands as a semi-bluff raises at some frequency, as I will describe below. When raising with A-K, you are primarily doing it for the third reason, whereas when raising with a hand such as AA, you are doing it for the second. Trips and two pair are bread-and-butter value-betting hands. Consider how each hand fairs on the turn and river: With 4♠ 4♣, we have just 2 outs and no backdoor draws when we are behind. Don t make the mistake of thinking pocket tens or jacks are great all-in hands, they are good hands but need to be played well. You sit waiting patiently for that big pair, and then BOOM: pocket Jacks! Now what? This page is going to be a collection of fun and interesting spots with big pairs, from pocket Tens to Aces, chock full of tips and strategy to win more with these rare pairs. An example: We have either JJ or QQ and are in late or mid position. They have the ability to take down big pots after making a set or by being the unsuspected overpair. The Lowdown on Sets. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. As mentioned, it all depends on the situation when playing Texas Hold 'em. , $240. When you have a strong hand in poker, you should almost always lean towards fast-playing to build the pot ASAP. How to Play Pocket Aces. 2. Pocket pairs are excellent starting hands in Hold’em due to their ability to flop a set (three of a kind). A “pocket pair” is a pair that a player possesses in his beginning hand in a Hold’em game. We will cover: What are Pocket Pairs? Pre-Flop Strategy:. , Jacks or Queens) but still have significant potential to win if played correctly. A pocket pair is when you are dealt 2 cards of the equal weightage or suit. Against a Cutoff raise, 3-bet from the Button. King should be played aggressively and fast. You would need to understand what makes a good PLO hand what doesn't. That being said, most players can’t help themselves and c-bet much. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. Pocket Nines. I like to raise the low PP's (22-55) in EP some 60-70% of the time and play them just as I would any big pair. Middle position gives players a little more breathing room to play low pocket pairs.