How To Play Pocket Pairs

Things you will learn:

• How to play pocket pairs

Pocket pairs can be some of the most profitable hands in Hold’em. But because they are so often misplayed, they don't add as much to your chip stack as they should.

Let's start with what might just be the worst play in poker - calling somebody’s all-in bet when you only hold a small pair. If you call an all-in, rather than betting or raising all-in yourself, you only have one way to win: by holding the best hand. It's far better to have two ways to win: by holding the best hand or by getting your opponent to fold.

Suppose you knew that your hand had a 40% chance of winning by the river. Now, suppose further that if you push all-in, your opponent will fold 50% of the time. It would be correct to bet - even though you know you have the inferior hand. In 100 confrontations, you would win 50 without a fight. Of the other 50, you would win 20. Therefore, you would win 70% of the time.

While you can't know the odds this precisely at the table, this example shows how having two ways to win often easily turns an inferior hand into a winner.

However, if you call all-in, you're going to find yourself in one of two situations: either you'll be roughly even money (against two overcards), or you'll be an underdog (small pair against larger pair).

Do you really want to put all your chips into the pot when you're either a small favourite or a huge underdog? It's a ridiculous play, yet you'll see players again and again make huge calls with hands like pocket 4s.

Imagine you have pocket sevens - or even your pocket deuces, for that matter - and you find yourself up against two overcards like A-K or J-10. You're the favourite to win, but only by small margin.

Why? There are four main ways in which overcards can defeat a pocket pair:

• To hit one (or more) of the overcards. For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final board is 5-K-7-J-2
• To make a straight (a single card from a pair can also help make a straight, but two connected cards stand a much better chance). For example, 7-7 vs J-10, with the final board coming 8-9-Q-7-2 (notice that even making a set of sevens on the turn didn't save the pocket pair)
• To make a flush (very similar to the straight analysis). For example, 8♥-8♦ vs Q♠-J♠ with the final board coming 10♠-9♠-A♥-3♥-8♠. Notice the same river card that gave the eights their 'lucky' set also created the flush: remember such possibilities when calculating 'outs' (winning cards)
• To get counterfeited - one of the biggest problems with tiddly pairs. For example, 3-3 vs A-9, and the final board comes 5-5-6-10-6. The owner of the 3s must play the board, while the opponent can use his ace. Any time you own a small pair and a larger pair flops, be careful

Because J-10 makes more high straights than any other hand, if you owned a pair of fours, you would actually much prefer to be up against the powerful looking A-K, which makes far fewer straights, than against J-10.

If you own Q-Q and are up against A-K, you are in the single most favourable 'pair vs overcards' situation. Express it however you like: 4:3, or 1.33-1, or a 57.2%; no matter which way you describe it, you are quite far away from coin flip territory.

You own this significant edge because your two queens reduce the A-K's chances of winning with a straight. A-K's owner will need a queen to hit the board to make a straight, and you have two of them tucked safely away. Don't get too excited by this information, though. Many players, upon learning that J-10 makes more straights than any other hand start to rank J-10 far too highly.

Split pocket pairs into several distinct value groups. Let's start at the bottom and work our way up:

• Small pairs (2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5)
  Although these hands stand a reasonable chance of winning a heads-up confrontation against overcards, they have several major vulnerabilities. In a game where three or more players see the flop, they usually need to make a set to win. Small pairs are also the most vulnerable to getting counterfeited. The good news is that their unimproved post-flop weakness is so obvious that even bad players are usually willing to throw them away, something that can't always be said of. . .
• Middle pairs (6-6, 7-7 and 8-8)
  For the most part, these hands play like small pairs. The biggest difference is that they don't get counterfeited nearly as often and occasionally in heads-up confrontations you will find yourself facing only one overcard instead of two. Otherwise, these hands can be more troublesome than small pairs, especially if the board comes low - 10-4-2, for instance. A player holding pocket 8s will often think 'only one overcard hit, I might be leading,' and bet aggressively, not realising he is up against someone who does have that one overcard, or someone who is tentatively calling with a hand like 9-9. Normally, unless you flop a set or a good straight draw (that is, the board is 4-5-6 and you have 7-7), you should get out.
• Danger pairs (9-9, 10-10)
  Much like middle pairs, but occasionally will hold up against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8). Should be played like middle pairs, but you will very rarely get counterfeited. They are called danger pairs because players tend to push them too hard.
  

J-J
The single trickiest hand in No-Limit. It wins just enough without improvement to give its owner confidence, yet is extremely vulnerable in multi-way situations. If you are facing all three overcards, you are a significant underdog. Just how big varies: you're far better off being up against A-K and K-Q (winning about 43%) than against A-K and Q-10 (winning about 37%), because of the lack of duplication. One trick to avoid getting into trouble with J-J is to pretend it's 8-8. You'll only play it hard in favourable post-flop situations and won't try to beat the world with it pre-flop.

 Q-Q
The third best starting hand in Hold’em should be played aggressively. The problem in low-limit games is you won't just be up against one player holding A-K - You'll be up against K-10 here and A-9 there, and that's much less favourable than facing a solitary A-K. In No-Limit, what sort of hands will you face heavy action with? Bluffs, the occasional person overplaying a smaller pair or A-Q, A-K and K-K or A-A, where you're a 9/2 underdog. It's often best to make a significant but not full-commitment raise and wait to see if the flop contains an ace or king.

K-K
'Cowboys' are a terrific hand and worth playing quite strongly. They do belong a full level below aces, though, because even some rookie playing A-3 has a 30% chance to beat you with his overcard. In a low-limit, multi-way pot, if an ace flops, your kings are essentially doomed; only in high-limit games where players will throw hands like A-9 away do you have a chance, and even then it's probably worth not bothering until you're an advanced player. Try to avoid going on tilt when the kings get beaten, because players hold single aces a lot and 30% chances aren't insignificant.

A-A
'Pocket rockets' are much better than kings because you can't be facing an overcard. One key in playing aces correctly lies in knowing when to get away from them. In low-limit, multi-way games, you should figure that two red aces are toast when the flop comes 9♠ 10♠ J♠ in other words, beware extremely coordinated flops. Don't get stubborn. A lot of No-Limit players like to limp with aces, hoping that someone else will raise and then they can re-raise. This is dangerous. If five people wind up limping, you have no idea where you are after the flop. You raise a lot with other hands and get re-raised; why not raise with this one and hope you get re-raised here? If everyone folds and you just win the blinds, that's unfortunate, but not as unfortunate as losing your whole stack because you let someone in too cheaply and only bet heavily once his hand became well defined.

Hold or fold? You won't know what your pocket pair is really worth until the flop.

Pocket pairs are usually the best hand before the flop, but remember that in Hold’em one's hand is usually defined by the flop when you see three cards all at once. One of the biggest mistakes players make with pocket pairs is getting stubborn with them once the flop makes it probable they are no longer leading. Remember, Hold’em is a seven-card game, not a two-card game.

Because low pocket pairs almost always have to flop a set to be worth continued play, it's vitally important to keep position in mind when playing. If you are the first player to act and hold a small pair, there is a strong chance that you will face one or more raises by the time the action gets back to you and then the price to see the flop isn't right. You'll only flop a set one time in eight tries, so try to get in there cheaply and try to get in against opponents who have enough money to pay you off handsomely if you get lucky.