How To Play Small Pocket Pairs In Texas Holdem
Turning up the corners of a pair of cards in the hole is always provocative. You’ll want to play ‘em all. You shouldn’t. And once you’ve played small pocket pairs, you’ve got to accurately read the situation making a move that’s going to get you broken.
Small pocket pairs are 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and perhaps 6-6. You would love to see a flop with these hands. Catching a small set can often win a big pot. People will not think set on a board of A-K-3.
The same cautions exist when considering a play on small pocket pairs as they do with other hands. Position is extremely important. Betting action is to be considered.
A very common error can come from overplaying a small pair from early position. Understandably you would like to thin the field by making a big bet and only having a limited of number of opponents in a hand. Truth be known, often you’ll have the best starting hand even when the pair is small.
Small pairs are often small favorites when going against two over cards. But here are a few things small pairs are not. They will rarely survive a big card flop. And if you try to represent a bigger hand than what you have, you may be stepping toward your own demise.
Let’s say the board has four of one suit and you’ve got a card in that suit. Rarely is your small flush going to be enough to take the hand. If you’ve been lucky enough to hit the flush, chances are good that someone else has a better one.
If you manage to complete a straight with your small card, you may fall victim to a larger straight. And worst of all, if you hit the set, you may well run into a bigger set, which is the greatest heartbreak of all. Still, you are going to want to get involved. If you are a beginner, try to keep those urgings limited to these situations.
In early position, you should fold your small pair. You may be tempted to limp in to attempt to see the flop and try for that set. If you are raised after you’ve called, you’ll have a decision to make. Do you take the chance and add more chips to the pot? The odds will say that you likely should not take the stab.
You could raise from early position. This will present to the opposition the thought that you have a better hand than you actually have. You may take the pot down immediately. Then again, you may get raised by a real hand after you act.
If you’ve come in from early position and hit your set, you should usually bet something, especially if there are good draws developing on the board. In other words, there may be two cards to a flush on the board, or a straight possibility may exist. You’ll want to bet enough to get rid of the fishers at that point. Slow playing a set is fine, but if another bigger hand is developing, be careful.
If you didn’t hit the flop, you are at the mercy of the other players. If you raised pre-flop, you’ll have to lead out even though you didn’t hit anything. Be ready to abandon the hand if someone else comes after you aggressively.
The further along at the table, the more playable small pairs will become. In middle position, small pairs are sometimes raising hands, but you’ve got to have a good read on an otherwise passive table to push with a small pair in middle position.
If you are playing at a tight table, any action after you will have to be interpreted as a sign of strength. Knowing who’s capable of what is very important.
In late position, if no one has raised, you can feel free to put in some kind of a raise, especially if you are on the button.
For More On Position Play In Texas Holdem
You want to see the flop. If you can get away with a limp in, go for it. But if you don’t catch the set and there are over cards on the board, you’ll want to be wary of others who are betting.
You may be tempted to add chips to the pot after the flop and turn, just trying to catch the third three. Keep in mind that the increasing number of community cards exposed increases the possibilities your set will not be enough. And you haven’t even hit the set yet. While you’ll see your set materialize on occasion after you’ve folded, the odds say folding is usually the right move if you didn’t catch your set on the flop.
Small pairs can lead to large pots. Usually they don’t. Proceed with caution.
