Poker how to play pocket pairs. Playing small pocket pairs in tournament poker. Open raises with small pocket pairs

It's always exciting to look at your hole cards and see a pair there. Pocket pairs can turn into a set and a set can turn into big win. Although small pocket pairs are one of the easiest hands to play in No-Limit, they can pose serious problems for unwary players. In this article, we will discuss the strengths and weak sides small pocket pairs.

A small pocket pair is a great multi-way pot hand.

Small pocket pairs are a really great hand for multi-player pots. You can often find yourself at a table where most flops are seen by four, six, even eight players. Small pocket pairs are a dream in these games because they form sets that you can count. best hand In most cases. The more opponents you have, the more likely it is that there will be an unsuspecting player with top pair who will be happy to pay off your set. Simple enough. But I have two comments about playing pocket pairs in a pot with multiple opponents.

First, be wary of the really "wild" games. These games don't come around very often, but I've played several games where three or more players have seen almost every flop for 15-20 big blinds per player ($75 or $100 in a $2-$5 game). If you have to pay $100 to see the flop, even in a "crazy" game where you almost always get paid for your set (when you get it), then chances are you won't be able to play small pairs like this. . Remember that you will get a set (on average) 1 time out of 8.5. And besides, when you receive it, you are not at all guaranteed to win or pay. Calling an opponent's big raise preflop can also cause an opponent behind you to move all-in. So keep an eye on your stack sizes and make sure you have enough funds to make up for losses if things don't go as planned.

Secondly, if several players in front of you limp into the game, then limping behind them is not always best idea. Sometimes it's better to raise even if you are sure that almost all opponents will call your raise. It depends on your stack size and the stack size of most of your opponents. The deeper the stacks, the more benefits a raise has.

If raising with a weak pocket pair seems odd to you, then consider this. There is no doubt that playing a small pocket pair in a $5 pot with six players when most players have stacks around $500 is profitable. Playing a small pair in a six-handed $10 pot with around $1,000 stacks is doubly profitable. Of course, this proportion cannot always be observed, but I think the main idea is clear. When you are in a favorable position for you, the more bets you can collect from your opponents (without significantly reducing the bet-to-pot ratio), the more profit you can make from this situation. Thus, it can often be wise to make a small raise with a small pocket pair in a multi-player pot.

A small pocket pair is a good heads-up hand.

Small pocket pairs are also good for heads-up play, especially if you are in position. While in multi-way pots, the value of the hand is determined by the sets it makes, in Heads-Up you often have to count on winning the pot with an unimproved hand. For this reason, position is extremely important. If you're in position, it's easier for you to get to showdown cheaply with your weak pair (when you need it).

But you don't always have to check to showdown your unimproved pocket pair. Sometimes you can value bet.
For example: Game $2-$5. The loose player bets $25. You call from the button with 7 7 . Blinds are folded.
The flop is T 8 4 . Your opponent checks and you check.
Turn - 2 . Your opponent checks and you check.
River - 2. Your opponent checks again.

You can value bet $50. Since your opponent has checked three times, you can almost be sure that your hand is the best. Often suspicious opponents will call your raise with hands like 3-3 or A-Q.

Of course, you shouldn't automatically bet on the river with all your unimproved pocket pairs. But against opponents who like to call bluffs, you will be able to make extra profit from your small pocket pairs.

A small pocket pair is a bad hand to play in reraised pots.

A spot where small pocket pairs are especially weak is reraised pots in heads-up play. If you open the pot and your opponent reraises the size of the pot (or thereabouts) and everyone else folds, you should usually fold too.

Example: You open $20 in a $2-$5 game with 4-4. The player on the button reraises to $70. Against most players and stacks of any standard size, you should fold your hand.

The problem with calling $50 is that it will be very difficult for you to win enough money (when you hit your set) to make up for losses in hands where your pair hasn't improved. For example, with a starting stack of around $500, you would have to bet your entire stack almost every time you hit a set in the hope of making a profit. Even if you know your opponent has a strong hand worth reraising preflop, you can't expect him to call your all-in every time. He might have AK with which he missed the flop. He might have Q-Q on a flop containing an ace or a king.

In practice, you won't be able to get your opponent to stack often enough (or even close to it) to justify calling a reraise just in hopes of hitting a set. To justify calling an opponent's raise, you need to win pots in other ways (for example, win some pots at showdown without improving your hand, or by bluffing). However, it is unlikely that a small pocket pair can win the pot without improving. And since small pairs rarely flop draws, they are also pretty weak bluffing hands.

So it's best to fold small pocket pairs to a reraise (unless your stacks are extremely deep and your opponent likes to push his entire stack into the pot).

Conclusion

It's nice to look at your cards and see a small pocket pair there - immediately thoughts of winning a huge pot appear. In a multi-handed pot this is an excellent hand, but be wary of big pre-flop raises. And don't be afraid to make medium raises if your stacks are deep.

In heads-up play, these hands are also good, especially if you're in position. And in some situations you can value bet these hands even if they haven't improved.

But if someone reraises preflop, don't call automatically - that's a mistake. Calling big reraises with small pairs is absolutely unacceptable. Sure, it's great to hit a set in a huge pot, but it doesn't happen often enough to be profitable in the long run.

Translation: Havana (Pokeroff)

For the sake of clarity, I will refer to "small" pocket pairs as 22-77 because general rules can apply to all of them. With any of these pairs, you will almost certainly face an overcard on the flop, and they will almost certainly be in serious danger if they don't improve to a set.

So your goal is still to hit a set (get a third card to your pocket pair) on the flop. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of my tips on how to make the most of these hands at low to mid-stakes online poker.

It is quite possible that these ducks and other small pocket pairs will become some of your most profitable hands.

Position is of paramount importance when playing with small pocket pairs.

While this applies to playing any hand, position is even more important when it comes to small pocket pockets, and you should not miss this point when considering how or why you are going to play them. The value of a hand like pocket fours increases as you get closer to the button.

If you act preflop after all the other players have already made their move, then you have more information than opponents: for example, you know how much you need to call to see the flop, or you know if there is an opponent in the hand who showed strength by raising.

In addition, you will be the last to act on each next round of bidding. It might sound like common truths, but you really shouldn't forget this fundamental concept about the importance of position when you're holding a small pocket. At an aggressive table, the habit of limping with small pairs in early position is a mistake.

You will often get into trouble when someone raises your limp and you will be forced to pay more for wanting to play out of position on the flop.

Stack sizes also determine the value of your pocket pair.

The implied value of a small pocket increases when there are deep stacks at the table. This is because you can hope to win a lot more if you hit a set. At $1/$2, playing a small pocket on the button makes more sense when you and the other limpers have $300 stacks instead of $50 stacks.

If you or your opponents have fairly small stacks, then trying to invest most of your remaining chips to hit a set on the flop is not a good play. If you or your opponent is likely to show, then you should wait for the best starting hands or just shove preflop.

However, keep in mind that if the stacks are deep (100 big blinds or more), then small pocket pairs become more playable. You can invest a small amount to potentially win a huge pot.

You can play more small pocket pairs at a passive table

As mentioned in tip #1, position is important in part because you don't want to face too many raises out of position. However, at a passive table where there are few pre-flop raises, you can safely play all your small pocket pairs.

After posting the blinds a few times, you can read the general style of play at the table. If the chances of you getting raised are low and many players like to limp, then why not play any pair from any position?

Of course, it's still preferable to be in position post-flop, but I'll also take the opportunity to get in cheap with my pocket treys or fours. Sometimes you should also open-raise your small pairs to diversify the game.

When you raise, one of two positive outcomes can happen: you can either win the pot without a fight, or you can build a pot for when you actually hit a set.

What hands do you want to play your small pockets against?

While the old poker adage says that with a small pocket you need to get into the hand cheaply at all costs, unraised pots are likely to give you the least profit when you flop a monster.

With pocket fives at the $1/2 table, it's wrong to think, "He was first and raised to $8. He probably has aces or kings, so I'd better fold." What you really want is for your opponent to have a high pocket pair when you have a low pocket pair. Why? If you hit a set on the flop, you will probably take all your opponent's chips.

Chances

I understand that with a pocket pair your odds against hitting a set on the flop are about 7.5 to 1 (about 12%), but if the stacks are deep and you'll be doubling 12% of the time, then calling $8 is obvious +EV solution.

Let's say a UTG player has pocket aces and opens to $8. Let's also assume that on every flop he's ready to stack (a reasonable guess at the low limits of online poker).

You both started with $200, but you've made 7 set value failures, so your current stack is $144. The 8th time you hit a set and doubled to $288. In the short term, you will hit a set more or less than 12% of the time, but in the long run, this scenario is still profitable for you.

Great doubling potential

Another positive is that opponents with AK will also be willing to risk all their money when they pair in a raised pot.

The main thing here is to choose those spots in which the probability of doubling is the highest. When there are 4 people in an unraised pot, not only do you get better pot odds and risk less, but you also have a better chance of getting action when you hit a set.

If your bankroll is not miserable, and you read a strong preflop hand from your opponent, then I recommend playing small pocket pairs much more often than beginners are usually advised.

If you are playing at high stakes with the best players and in deep stacks, it will be very difficult for you to get value from them preflop with any pocket pair. The reason lies in the extremely high implied odds. Consider what hand you would like your opponent to have and play accordingly.

Conclusion

I hope I gave you some helpful tips for profitable game with small pocket pairs preflop. I think the traditional tight strategy is not always the most profitable in loose online games.

In situations where the table is very passive and Villain is likely to have a strong hand, you can call with any pocket pair or even make a small raise. But at the same time, small pockets are the type of hands that require the utmost discipline.

If you're not disciplined enough to fold your pocket pairs on a dangerous flop, then you're better off sticking with premium hands.

Most beginner poker players are very familiar with how to play strong pocket pairs correctly. The main problem for most beginner poker players is when playing small or even medium pocket pairs. Some novice poker players overestimate the strength and power of small to medium pocket pairs and lose big pots with these hands, while other novice poker players miss out on good pot opportunities with these hands by sticking strictly to ABC poker strategy.

In this article, I want to break down situations that are suitable for successfully playing small and medium pocket pairs. I will elaborate on explaining the set-mining situation and some other situations where including small and medium pairs in your starting hand range will bring you tangible profits.

Set mining

When playing small to medium pocket pairs, your main goal is to hit a set. It is this strategy of playing pocket pairs that is called set-mining. Hitting low or medium sets has very high potential value and is hard to read, so it usually pays well for your opponents with overpairs.

However, do not forget that the chances of hitting a set already on the flop are only 12%. It is because of this low percentage of hitting a set that you have to be very careful with how often you set mine when playing small to medium pocket pairs. If you use a set mining strategy every time you hit small and medium pocket pairs, then no big pots you win with these sets will pay off your investment in the pots in which you tried to hit this set. Annette Obrestad, for example, admitted several years ago that she rarely risks more than 10% of her stack in any set mining attempt. I think you should take as a basis, this particular set-mining strategy of Annette Obrestad. At least until you have a good grasp of successful set-mining techniques or develop your own successful strategy games with small and medium pocket pairs

Hyper aggressive players

The set-mining tactic when playing small to medium pocket pairs is the most successful poker tactic that will allow you to win big pots against your hyper-aggressive opponents at the poker table. Hyper-aggressive players are very fond of making big bets, trying to scare you with the size of their bet and take the pot before the showdown. So you need to learn how to use this aggression of theirs against them.

Against hyper-aggressive players, set-mining tactics work great in situations where you are one-on-one with such an opponent and are in position. Even if you end up out of position, the set-mining tactic can still work great, as long as you stay in the pot against a hyper-active opponent head-to-head.

The key to winning big pots against your hyper-active opponents is of course hitting sets with your small to medium pocket pair. Once you hit a set with your small or medium pocket pair, you should immediately slow-play your game and let your hyper-aggressive opponent keep trying to bully you with his bet size, allowing him to run the pot for you. However, there is one exception here - flops with potential straight or flush draws. If you hit a set with your small or medium pocket pair on the flop with a potential straight or flush draw, then in this situation, you should make a big bet first to put your hyper-aggressive opponent in the situation - pay to continue playing or discard cards.

Let's imagine that your hyper-aggressive opponent, in a situation where you hit a set with your small or medium pocket pair, on the flop with a potential straight or flush draw, called your big bet. Then on the turn, you will get into a situation where you have to decide how to play next - raise / check-raise or just call and watch the river. Here it is worth focusing on the specific situation that has developed at the table in this draw. If you're in position, you can try raising the turn and then betting if your hyper-aggressive opponent checks the river. If you're out of position and you think your hyper-aggressive opponent won't call your bet on the river, then you're better off check-raising the turn and hoping your opponent hits a second pair or an ace on the river with his A- K, for example.

Family Banks

Family pots are pots that have four or more players in order to see the flop. Family pots are a great opportunity to use set-mining tactics when playing small to medium pocket pairs. In most situations, when playing family pots, it costs no more than the size of a large pot + one raise to enter them. A large number of family pots played, typical for tables with a large number of not very experienced poker players. Most family pot players enter the hand with fairly weak starting hands. That is why, when using set-mining tactics, when playing family pots, you will win a big pot, almost every time you hit a set.

Six-max and four-max tables

The dynamics of the game at the tables of six-max and four-max, is significantly different from the dynamics of the game at the usual poker tables. Compared to regular poker tables, at six-max and four-max poker tables, medium pocket pairs become strong hands and are more likely to win showdown even without a set. With small pocket pairs, six-max and four-max tables, you can count not only on set mining, but also on a net win with such a pair.

When playing small to medium pocket pairs, at six-max and four-max tables, you should be raising into the pot more often from middle and late positions than at standard poker tables. If you flop a set when playing small and medium pocket pairs, at six-max and four-max tables, you should definitely bet fast and big in this situation. Since most players at 6-max and 4-max tables come into play with a much wider range of starting hands, the risk of tables with potential straight or flush draws is much higher here. Don't be afraid to play your pocket pairs aggressively at these tables. Put your opponents with potential draws in the situation - pay for each card or fold your cards.

heads-up

Heads-up play is a poker game format in which small to medium pocket pairs have the best chance of showing their potential strength to win the pot. By and large, when playing heads-up, any pocket pair is already a strong made hand. Yes, pocket deuces, threes or fours will still be pretty weak hands, but don't underestimate the fact that they win much more often when playing heads-up than when playing in other formats. Don't be afraid to run the pot pre-flop, even with these small pocket pairs, because you're only facing one opponent heads-up.

Once you hit a set with your pocket pair, you'd better slowplay your game and try to get the most value out of the situation. Even if there are potential draws on the table, you should not be too afraid of them. Even the lowest set heads-up is a great opportunity to win your opponent's entire stack in one hand.

Even a small pocket pair can win you a huge prize.

With the right line play, even small to medium pocket pairs can help you win big pots in key hands. When playing shorthanded or heads-up, the right line of play with small to medium pocket pairs will help you win a lot of pots without going into a shotdown. If you're new to poker and are used to using a conservative line when playing a weak set, don't be afraid to back away from that line and make a few bets to extract much more value from your hand.

Remember that even your smallest pocket pairs can be much stronger than your opponents' hands when playing shorthanded or heads-up. Make the necessary adjustments to your game when playing small and medium pocket pairs so that you can use them to constantly pressure and win against your opponents.

One of the hardest decisions in poker is what to do with small pockets? Although they are pocket pairs, and we are talking about cards from 22 to 66 here, and they are in any case stronger than any pocket hand, except for a higher pocket pair, we can easily find ourselves out of money on the final board. Thus, the decision to play and how exactly to play them is quite problematic.

In a limit game, small pockets can be played in almost any position, with the exception of raises in front of you from more than two players. About one time out of eight you will be able to hit a set and make a good profit. Also, if you don't hit anything on the flop and turn, you can easily fold with minimal losses.
But in the unlimited version, the losses, of course, can be much more serious.

In no-limit poker, you have to weigh several factors before playing small pockets: the aggressiveness of the table, your image at the table, your position and stack size. If you take into account all the factors, you will see a significant improvement in your performance.

Consider the game with small pockets in different positions.

Early position (from UTG to 3rd place)

This is the most difficult position to play with small pockets. In addition to all these factors, you must understand that most of the table will make their decisions after you. If you limp in, be prepared for multiple calls or raises from late position players. If you raise, then be prepared for a re-raise or even all in from your opponents.

The size of your stack is also one of the main factors in this case. If you have a normal stack, then you can safely call and try to catch a set. If there are not so many chips left, then you need to decide whether it makes sense to risk it on a small pocket.

At the beginning of the tournament, I sometimes even throw out small pockets. Why? Read the first paragraph of this section. My deuces or triplets won't hold up against a lot of players or a big raise. Even if I flop a set, I still won't be able to have a big advantage over others. Thus, on the iron or nearby, it is sometimes better to throw off these small pockets right away.

In the course of the tournament, you should not miss the opportunity to play small pockets. It is preferable to vary the game from standard raises to limping.

Of course, at the final table, if you can't see into your opponent's soul, then it's better to play small pockets.

Middle position (4th and 5th places)

In middle position, your options are already clearer. You have already seen the actions of opponents in front of you and you have more information about what to do to call or re-raise to stay on the flop eye to eye. It is the heads up on the flop that should be the target when playing with a small pocket in order to have higher odds.

Calling is acceptable in the following situations. You have enough chips and are aggressive, so you can trap your opponents with a set or bluff on the flop. It's also a good position to call if someone has already raised in front of you.

At 9-seat tables, the fifth position has become the so-called "steal" position. Raising from this position has become very common in recent times, but because of this prevalence, you should be ready to get re-raised, and if you feel that something is wrong, it's better to fold your hand.

Late position (cutoff and button)

In late position, you can use your entire arsenal of skills. Even with a small pocket, you can choose to call or raise due to good position. If there was a raise from ONE player, you can even re-raise and win the hand outright, or get heads-up on the flop.

I emphasize that the raise to you must be from one player. If there was a raise in front of you, and then a 3-bet from another, then it is better to fold your cards. These actions let you know that the person has a big ace like AK or AQ, or a bigger pocket than you. In this situation, you are not in a winning position and it all depends on whether you hit the set or not.

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Small pocket pairs are pairs ranging from 22 to 66, and all pairs above are considered medium and high pocket pairs. These small pairs are deceptively strong and very often give beginners a lot of trouble as they are so overrated.

Small pocket pairs are usually considered pocket pairs between 22 and 66.

Small pocket pairs will outperform most other hands preflop, but that's only until your opponent has a higher pair. For this reason, playing the flop can be incredibly difficult if you fail to improve your hand.

So let's learn how to play with small pocket pairs...

The biggest problem with small pocket pairs

When playing a small pocket pair, there is a very high chance that more will come on the flop. high cards. This will mean that we have an underpair and in this situation it will be very difficult to find out if we have the best hand.

If we bet and get called, it will give us little information about whether our hand is ahead or not. Our opponent could have a higher pair, a draw, a small pair, or any other possible hand. Simply betting and calling doesn't give us much information about our opponent's hand, and it will be costly to try, as we'll need to bet the turn and river to get more information.

Small pocket pairs and sets

The strength of a small pocket pair is that there is a chance we can hit a set on the flop. A set is a three of a kind made with a pocket pair and is different from a three of a kind made with one hole card and two community cards. A set is a very hidden and strong hand, and with this combination we can win a lot of money if our opponents are unaware of our hand.

So instead of looking at the strength of our small pocket pair on the flop, we should just be hoping for a set or folding. A low pocket pair is very difficult and unprofitable to play post-flop if you can't improve it, so try to avoid it.

The best strategy for playing small pocket pairs is to try to flop a set and fold if you miss a set.

Pot Odds and Set Odds

The odds of hitting a set with a pocket pair on the flop are 7 to 1, which means we'll get 1 set out of every 8 flops we see. These are not too big odds, so according to the pot odds we will rarely get good odds to call preflop to see the flop and try to hit our set.

Pot odds assume that we will be paying too much for something that doesn't happen too often for us to try to make a hand. But there is something very important that allows us to take pot odds a little more freely, and that is implied odds per set.

Implied odds do worth the game with small pocket pairs.

Implied odds are how much we expect to win after we make our hand, and it can be said even now that our implied odds per set are HUGE. It's not uncommon for players to lose their money when they hit a decent hand on the flop and are unaware that an opponent might have a set.

Set strategy and how to play small pocket pairs

There are two basic requirements for playing small pocket pairs:

1. Opponents should have relatively deep stacks. That is, 70BB+ stacks.
2. You should avoid calling 7BB+ raises to see the flop.

1) Play small pocket pairs against deep stacks

The deeper our opponent's stack, the better. This is because we won't be picking a set too often, but when we do, we should be able to get paid handsomely. If our opponent has a small stack, then the reward for the stack and the size of the possible all-in will not justify calling a raise, since we will only get a set in one out of eight cases.

The deeper the stack, the greater the implied odds, the greater the potential profit, and the more +EV it becomes to call on a set.

2) Call raises up to 7bb preflop

The bigger the preflop raise, the worse the pot odds and the less profitable it becomes to call a set in the long run. However, the standard preflop raise is around 3 or 4bb, and is the optimal size to call in an attempt to make a set.

However, our implied odds on a successful set attempt are huge, so we can afford to pay a little more to see the flop.

Don't be afraid to call bets up to 7BB (or maybe a little more depending on the situation) with a small pocket pair. This may seem like a big call, but there's a huge payoff when you hit a set.

Advanced strategy for playing small pocket pairs

If you're strong postflop, it's in your best interest to raise with pocket pairs preflop. This will give you the lead in the hand and help you pick up a few extra small pots along with the bigger ones when you hit a set.

However, if you are a beginner, then playing small pocket pairs should be done in a more passive way, just calling preflop and not raising. Both of these methods are profitable, so play the way you feel most comfortable. Raising preflop with small pocket pairs will be over +EV, but only if you know what you're doing.

Implied Odds and Sets

We have already covered this issue, but it is worth re-emphasizing the importance of stack sizes.

If our opponent has a short stack, then our implied odds will be significantly reduced, so our potential win when hitting a set becomes smaller. Similarly, in situations where our opponents have large stacks, then the implied odds become huge for trying to build our stack.

The smaller our opponent's stack, the smaller our implied odds. The bigger our opponent's stack, the bigger our implied odds.

This means we can give ourselves a little more space when calling preflop raises. If our opponents have short stacks, then we should avoid calling raises and try to see the flop as cheaply as possible or not at all, while if our opponent has a big stack, then we can afford to call big raises, to try to build our stack because we will have very good implied odds.

Conclusion

As you may have noticed, the small pocket pair strategy revolves around the concept of implied odds in the first place. Implied odds justify playing small pocket pairs, so you should become familiar with the concept.

Basically, the whole strategy is based on seeing cheap flops with small pocket pairs, and continuing the game only when you hit a set. If this is the only thing you have learned from this article, then don't worry, as by this point alone you have helped yourself save/make a lot of money in the future.

Don't be afraid to call big raises preflop with small pocket pairs, but be prepared to fold if you miss a set. This is a simple yet effective strategy for playing any pocket pair between 22 and 66.