Texas Holdem Instructions

Middle pocket pairs will range from 6-6 to as high as 10-10. Position will determine your course of action for this range of starting hands. The earlier you are at the table, the higher your starting hand should be.

If you’ve got 6-6 in first position, you’ve got to consider folding. The same is true of 7-7 and 8-8. That’s consider, not must. The largest part of the reason a fold must be considered is that you’re likely going to have to raise yourself, or call someone’s raise to see the flop.

If you just limp in with 6-6, you are strictly hoping to see a cheap flop, catch another six and go from there. Raising a middle pair from early position is not out of the question. It would be better if you were familiar with the players at your table. If your opponents are loose and likely to call with mediocre cards, remember that a middle pair will be vulnerable to any high card.

From middle position, under the right circumstances, a raise will be a good play with a middle pocket pair. You’ll have fewer players to negotiate, the later you are in the action. If action is slow and you are on the button with a middle pair, a raise is appropriate.

Here are some warning signs you should look for with middle pair.

Let’s say you are holding 10-10 and are just to the right of the dealer. First to act has limped in, two to his left has raised. The player to your right has made a big re-raise. What do you do? At this point, you’ve got to be thinking that your 10-10 isn’t any good. In your mind, you can construct a scenario. Maybe the limper had J-K suited. The first raise might have had A-Q off suit. The big re-raise may have come from someone with a high pair, Q-Q or K-K. And, since you really don’t know what the first player to act will do when action returns to him, you have to consider that if he’s strong, there could be another re-raise.

Most importantly, you’ve got to be prepared to throw away your middle pair. Let’s say there are three small cards on the flop and you’ve got 7-7. You may be looking at top pair. You bet out and get raised by the player to your left. There are two possibilities. Either your opponent has connected to that flop and thinks he has you or he’s got over cards, perhaps a strong Ace and is raising to see where he stands.

Consider holding 8-8 and the flop is K-7-4. Now what? The more players in the hand, the more likely it is that someone is holding a King. Of course, there could be a bigger pair than yours being held by some other player. One way to find out what the other players are up to is to bet out or raise. If you get called you may be facing a potential winner. If you get raised, you likely should just fold.

Too often, inexperienced players have a hand like 9-9, where there is a lot of action and they are calling all along, hoping to hit that third 9. Fishing for a hand that has few outs is a prescription for a losing session.

If you are in a tournament and have managed to accumulate a lot of chips, playing middle pairs can help you grow your stack. But you’ve got to be willing to set your cards free if the signals tell you you’re beaten.

Middle pairs certainly have great potential. On the low end, you need to consider folding in early position, getting a cheap flop from middle position and raising if there’s been no action to you from late position.

The higher the middle pair, the more you can dial back the options. In other words, you may want to put in a raise in early position. You may wind up getting through the rest of the field and taking down the small pot.

As is the case with any hand that you play over time, you’ll want to vary your approach. Consider all of the variables when you make your decision. Who am I playing with? What’s my position? Is the table tight? Is there a crazy wild guy at my table? Do I have the chips to get involved in an iffy hand? Should I take my chips and bully people with them?

If you’ve hit your set after the flop, you’ll have a number of options. Do you slow play, make a value bet or just go all-in?

Slow playing a middle sized set can be lucrative. Watch for these red flags. If there is a potential flush on the board, make sure you bet something. It would be best for you if the fishers went to the lake. And if they are going to attempt to suck out on you, you should make them pay. The same approach is true if there are other draws on the board.

If the board seems not to have any real potential to bigger hands, slow playing is a viable option. Either way, you don’t want to let someone see a free card if that card can be your undoing. And you want to maximize your income if you’ve got the nuts.

Learn How To Slow Play With This Article

Making a small bet will chase players who have nothing and allow those who have potential to stick around for a free card. That action will, however, give you some information about where the opposition stands.

All-in bets may be appropriate if you are short stacked and would like to take the pot immediately. The shorter your stack, the less likely the chip stack will discourage someone who was going to call anyway. Once you’ve gone all-in your fate is out of your hands. It’s not a bad idea to leave yourself an out or two.

If you’ve got a big chip advantage over another player, you may want to put them all in having hit your set. At least if that player gets help and wins, you’ll not go broke.

Middle pairs are good hands, not great hands. The more experience you get, the more lucrative you’ll be able to make those pairs be.