Poket Pairs

[Elbarad]

I'd like to hear some opinions from you guys. I mostly play cash games. Either .25/50 NL or .10/.25 NL

I have a hard time deciding what to do with pocket pairs. Both from early and late position.

From early or middle position I've been trying to limp in, folding if someone in later position 3 bets. In late position I normally two bet them. After the flop, unless I hit the set I'm fairly easy to drive off the hand, simply because I don't like chasing, hoping someone's only betting with AK or something.

The problem is how often I see people betting much stronger with their say... 66. And than being almost impossible to drive off a hand when faced with my over cards and me making a couple of bets.

The way I'm playing them makes sense to me, but I'm forced to wonder if Im' severly undervauling them. Or maybe I'm just not betting hard enough with say my KQ vs his 66 on a flop of Q 9 3. I can't say how often I lose to someone hitting their set on the turn or river. If I had this hand...what sort of bet would you make to make them fold their 66?

Anyway, thanks for any advice.

[sos_egg_n]

your opponent should fold to any decent bet around half the pot but he may not believe u have anything if the flop does not drop ace / king But you cannot really ask the question as obviously u would never know what your opponent is holding.

As for folding pre-flop never not in cash u hit a set u can get payed out bigtime against big pocket pairs.....i am opposite i do not like playing them unraised with another 3 + limpers u can hit set inevitably a flush / str8 will be out which stops the pot getting huge....Unless some1 has it and if i have a set i am behind.


Personally i raise alot from late position if is then checked to me i will fire out again
Best spot is u r in early position some1 has raised and u suspect they have aa u call raise say 4 bb pot is around 10 bb after flop u bet out in early position pot size the guy thinks u are bluffiing and has no option but to re-raise.

Pocket pairs alone are nothing a set is obviously what u want so its a case of if i call am i going to get paid enough if i hit set.

[PLAYFUL1]

PLAYFUL SAYS 2 ONLY PLAY POCKET PAIRS IF THEY ARE 88'S OR HIGHER... CHECK THE OR CALL THE FLOP AND GO FROM THERE..IF U HIT TRIPS YOU CAN PLAY WITH THE RAISERS AT THE TABLE OR WHAT EVER

[eberetta1]

Playful is right, you do not want to go in with very low pairs, because I have made my set of 4's only to lose to a set of 9's.

I also never limp in with a pair. I will minimum raise(people argue this idea, but it beats limping in. They suggest a pot raise or 3x bet, but I do not want to be pot committed with 2 rags.), just to reduce the number of players. If 5 people limp in, odds are not too hot. If your raise drops the SB and BB, that is a small start.

And if you are trying to back people off with KQ, there are people that want to bet cash burning a hole in their pocket. You cannot get them to back off even if they hold a 68, 74, etc.

Watching the table after 25 or so hands, you can usually see who are some bluffers. If they are too much of a better player than me, I go to a table that is easier to make money with my style of betting. No use staying at the table and beating yourself up, unless it is a tournament. But about the only time I encounter this is when I am playing at a money level over my head. Then those constant raises and hi bets are an annoyance.

[PLAYFUL1]

YES IT IS TUFF TO PLAY AT TABLES WHEN YOU ARE BEING CONSTANTLY BEING PUSHED AROUND WITH ALL-IN RAISERS ETC... AND EBER IS SO RITE.. PICK YAH SPOTS ..SMALL POCKET PAIRS USUALLY BRING IN HUGE POTS.... PLAYFUL WON A TOURNAMENT W/PP2'S ALL-IN ..CATCHING A 2 ON THE RIVER.. GO FIGURE

[Alnoble]

Most of the time small pocket pairs are going to get you in trouble. They are usful if you have a read on the other player and suspect they are playing ace any or king any becuase all they have is a high card. As long as they don't hit you can play beyond the flop but watch out.

Limping is reasonable as long as you are3 prepared to fold if you miss your set.

[PLAYFUL1]

Yah if you miss your set get the hell out HUN

[watton412]

ok lets talk about these poket pairs my opinion is push all in when you get a low stack this way you have the upper hand if no one has a pair but if u dont hit its deadly. but i stil always play poket hands regardless of the bets, and i mostly win with em

[Peteyweestro]

Pocket pairs are to me difficult to play if they are under 10,10 because like i mentioned in another thread i just don't know if i should raise more then 2x or i should just limp in until i see the flop or if someone else raises preflop how high should i be willing to call?

[hojediade]

Here is a story of a pocket pair in a home cash-game occured last night.

We're 4 players remainin at 2:00 am. Blinds remain 0.05/0.10€. The chipleader has more than 40€ and the 2 other player involved in that hand have around 20€. I'm first to act with 20€ in my stack and got delt pocket 7's, my second PP of the night after nearly 4 hours of play.
I raise UTG 0.80€. Player on the button raise to 1.80€ and the SB re-raise to 3.60. The BB fold and it's back to me. I decide to call and the button too. Pot now reach more than 10€, which represent 1/10 of all the chips at the table.
The flop come 2,3,5 rainbow. First player checke, i then bet 1.80€, thinking i have the best hand. Then come the troubles with a raise from the button player to 3.60€. and the SB to call. Back to me, with the pot that high and my chipstack that equals it i decide to shove all-in. Both players called and we're gone for a monster +60€ pot, the bigger we played last night.
The showing give me the lead as my opponents are both holding ATos and AJos, with no flush draws. I feel confortable, but then come the turn with a T giving the worst hand the advantage.
Finally i caught a 7 on the river to win that hand.
I feel like i got lucky catching the set on the river, but i also have hard time understanding why my friends called my AI raise while holding only 2 overcards and an inside str8 draw.