If I have 2 hearts, I’m check raising If I have 8-9, 8-10, I’m bluffing. Pocket pairs can also suck out and make full houses. You only have like a one in ten chance of hitting a set, which means on average you should try and make 10x your return of your preflop bet to make the strategy of set mining profitable. Big pots are meant for big hands, and by betting and raising with sets, the pot can be inflated before an opponent realizes just how far behind they are. How to Play Pocket Twos in Common Preflop Situations. Against five players with hands from the example, you’ll win 48% of the time. For example, for Pocket Aces, we would divide 6 combinations by 1,326 total combinations to see that we’ll receive this hand every 1 in 221 hands. In other words it's a little bit like set-mining apart from the fact that we have a chunk of fold-equity preflop too. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. Combinations. Being up against multiple players is a relatively. They’re made hands and you’ve got a big pair already, even if you don’t improve. A “pocket pair” is a pair that a player possesses in his beginning hand in a Hold’em game. Photo by Hassan Khalid. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. Aside from pocket pairs, all possible hole card combinations have suited and offsuit versions. Tip #2: Always fast-play your trips or two pairs . 7%. Tip #3: If the board is paired, always fire a c-bet. You want to lean toward betting whether you hit the Queen or the Ten top pair. One of the most interesting situations in poker is when a player has Ace King (AK) and faces a pocket pair. 5. Playing Big Pocket Pairs. Small pocket pairs go way up in implied value when the stacks are deep at the table. 2. By: Search Advanced search… Advanced search…How to Play Small Pocket Pairs Correctly. Limping should be avoided, no matter how tempting it might be to “set the trap ” or “ set mine ” with it. A pocket pair is always a good starting point in poker. EV= 0. Forum. So you’ll be flopping a set fairly infrequently but when you do you’ve got a very good chance of winning the hand. The look on a new players face when he first sees a solid boat get beat by another boat… it's priceless. ago. He has no ideas on the other players from previous hands, and he’s dealt pocket tens in the small blind. Paired boards are great for the player who is in position. You should also be playing your pocket aces very aggressively after the flop as well. Unopened Pots. Flop c-betting range: Sets, two pairs, most top pairs, 2 nd pairs, 3 rd pairs, low pocket pairs, open-enders, all gut-shots, runner-runner flush draws. e. If you can get in all the money before the flop, kudos to you, as you’ll likely be ahead of your opponent’s range. Playing and Bluffing with Smaller Pocket Pairs. Baby pairs, "small pocket pairs" or just "small pairs" refer to the lowest group of pocket-pair starting hands in Texas Hold'em, usually ranging from 22 to 66. What are Small Pocket Pairs, And How to Play Them? Small pocket pairs range from 2-2 to 6-6, anything higher is regarded as medium or premium pairs. This applies to almost all hands you play, but especially to pocket pairs due to the fact that they don’t offer much flexibility on the flop, turn or river versus other hands. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. 45% of the time. 3 Tips for Playing When You Hit Top Pair on the Flop with Ace-Jack Suited. Besides the usual flush and. Whether it’s in a single raised pot (SRP) or 3bet+ pot, and for lesser experienced. You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. Pocket pairs are a powerful starting hand in poker, and knowing how to play them effectively can give you a significant advantage at the table. If you are checking and calling, you are missing out on a prime opportunity to force. Pocket 7s down are pretty much set mining hands, unless the blinds are very high relative to stack sizes. Texas hold ’em pocket card nicknames. This applies to almost all hands you play, but especially to pocket pairs due to the fact that they don’t offer much flexibility on the flop, turn or river versus other hands. As mentioned, it all depends on the situation when playing Texas Hold 'em. So, be wary of straights and. To make small pocket pairs your winning hand, you need to remember that their strength is mostly revealed on the flop when you hit a set of 3-of-a-kind. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. Sets are considered extremely strong hands in No Limit Hold’em and are frequently strong enough to play for stacks with (depending on the exact board texture and stack. Tip #1: Always bet and barrel for value with top pair (unless the board runs out in a very dicey way) If you have Ace-Queen and the flop comes Ace-high or Queen-high, you have a monster hand worth multiple streets of value. Double-Paired Boards As the Preflop Raiser from the Button. Unfortunately, they’re also very vulnerable hands that can get you into a. How to Play Low Pocket Pairs in Middle Position. Sure, if you have pocket Aces or pocket Kings, you are indeed presented with increased positive value for the hand you’re about to play, but most of the time, your pocket pair will be something like 7s, 3s, 8s or 6s. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. I’m pretty new to poker and really wouldn’t go by anything I say, but it’s implied odds your shooting for, late position call or 3! Fold to 4!. The last thing you want to do when you hit your set is to slow down and start checking and calling. IMO pocket pairs is a must play in fishy 1/2 stakes. In this vlog, I discuss how to play big pocket pairs and when to consider 3 betting and flatting preflop. How to Play Aces. Do not get too enthusiastic with small pairs. Being the one who initiates the action, or someone who follows, determines how to enter a hand. This is a list of all poker strategy articles that are marked as starting hands. For pocket 9s, the odds drop from 18. From early position its completely fine to just fold or you can semi-bluff raise a small percentage of the time, I know low pairs make up a limping range for some guys but I personally don’t include them. Well, early in tournaments, at most tables, I’d just raise. In this vlog, I discuss how to play mid pocket pairs and why it's very important to understand their SD value post flop. You’ll remember the times you got dealt A-A when playing poker online, but in actual fact you only receive them 0. Trips and two pair are bread-and-butter value-betting hands. Small pocket pairs, particularly at the lower limits in real money games, are often overlooked by newer poker players, even though they can be some of your biggest long-term winners. The low pocket pairs from 44 to 22 are weak hands that you should never play as a raise first in from early positions. It’s simply a great hand to have since you have a 12% chance of hitting a set on the flop, and you will have a good chance of stacking your opponent if they have an overpair. Knowing the above information, we can then do some basic math to determine the likelihood of getting certain combinations of hole cards. In this article, we will explore unique methods for successfully playing small pocket pairs in live tournaments. You could justify slow play if the flop is composed of low-value connecting cards. With that being said, there is a right and wrong way to play small pairs pre-flop and post-flop. Best Online Poker Sites. In early position it is best to check and see how the others play. 5x the original raise, you can justifiably call with your lowest pocket pairs. Low Pocket Pairs. That’s why calling 3-bets with small pocket pairs is usually a losing play. 3 Tips for Pocket Sixes in 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller Tip #1: If you have a middling pair and a backdoor flush draw, call even if the bet is large. Usually small pocket pairs are played for the principal objective of catching a trio, cause what that happens you have the real potential of earning, hopefully from someone with a good hand. If you miss the flop though, then you. For this reason, you should always raise with this hand preflop when the action folds to you, regardless of your position. Paired flops come in many different forms and the optimal strategy for each can vary wildly. You should always raise with Pocket Fives preflop when the action folds to you in a 6-max game. 7 percent. Your strategy is defined by two main factors: the strength of your pocket. With 20 big blinds in an unopened pot, all the small pocket pairs can be shoved profitably from the button or small blind. In other words, we're talking primarily about small. Pocket Jacks tend to play best in either multi-player pots, when four or more players see the flop, or heads up against one other player. Pocket Pairs. Playing underpairs optimally can help you make more money in the long run. For pocket 9s, the odds drop from 18. In this video you will learn how to play small pocket pairs in poker. Put simply, pocket queens is the third best hand in No Limit Hold'em. When you have pocket aces in your hand, it’s important that you try to build the pot quickly. How to Play Pocket Aces . 9% chance of being dealt a pocket pair. Tip #1 – Lean heavily towards c-betting with your top pairs Top pairs are strong hands on the flop. From the Big Blind. Additionally, you can get in cheap and end up winning the pot. Before you get too excited when getting a pair during a poker game , read this article through because it is going to open your eyes to a few unpleasant aspects. Hakon wanted me to look at a hand and he prefaces it by saying he was playing at a 25NL Zoom table. Smaller pairs, also known as pocket sevens or lower, are made up of low-value cards, specifically 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6. You should play these pair cautiously from late positions. Pocket Pairs are strong hands but stacking off with the baby pairs can be risky as there are many. You can play a much wider range pre-flop because the implied odds are so much greater. Once you hit a Set, try to maximize your profit by. Set Mining “Set mining” is when you call with a (usually small) pocket pair with the sole intention of flopping the set. You lose to AA, KK, QQ, JJ, any 7, any two hearts. The order of poker hand rankings (from the highest/best to the lowest/worst) is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card. 77+ means play all pocket pairs including 77 and better, so this range excludes the pocket pairs 22 through 66. Pocket pairs play decently well out of position compared to other hand types. There are two key situations where the value of pocket aces starts to fade: 1. How to Play Strong Pocket Pairs. How you should play small pairs is mostly dependent on your stack size and the effective stack size in the hand; that is, the smaller stack that can be put at risk. In this case, Three Aces will be the strongest set, followed by three Kings, and so on all the way down to three Twos. What. Early position just fold. That "set flopping potential" is what makes them play good in pots with four or more. Small pocket pairs (66 through 22) are more speculative hands, so they are best played as set mines when the stack sizes are very deep. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. In this article, we’ll try to dissect the strategy behind playing pocket pairs in poker. Get all-in pre-flop against a weaker ace-x hand. Warning: Do not slow play!This is a list of all poker strategy articles that are marked as starting hands. When someone plays back, I can fold without any real worries. They are actually very easy to play as 3bets. It sure looks like a premium hand, but it’s essentially a mid-sized pocket pair. The other focuses on unpaired starting hands and figuring out how many combos of hands like one pair, two pair, trips, flush draws, etc. Never play suited connectors (98s or lower) from Middle Position or worse when you have 30 big blinds or less in your stack. Even if they’re suited, the chance of flopping a flush is only 0. Good understanding of what are the odds when playing small pocket pairs in various scen. . A pocket pair is when you are dealt 2 cards of the equal weightage or suit. How do you play a small pocket pair in middle position at: 1) Deep stack tourney with more than 10 blinds 2) Turbo tournaments with less than 10 blinds. You should focus on value-betting with very strong hands, as well as some vulnerable made hands if you have many of them (as it was in our second example). Poker is a Game of Situations. Example: You raise 3♠ 3♣ on the Button and the Big Blind calls. Early position just fold. So despite pocket-pairs being low playability hands this is not the same as saying they are difficult to play. You should often be willing to get all of your chips in the. For example, if you’re holding a pair of jacks and there’s a jack on the board, then you have three-of-a-kind, but more specifically, you have a set. Danger pairs play a lot like middle pairs, but will occasionally hold their own against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8. In Texas Hold'em, a pocket pair refers to a situation where a player's two hole cards are of the same rank. To help. Some of the biggest pots are created due to a pocket pair's 'hidden' attribute in a. If I hit the flop hard, then it depends on the action of the table, but I usually end up with a big pot. What does everyone think an acceptable play is in the following positions: Small blind Button Under the gun Look forward to some discussion on this!Pocket Queens vs Ace-King Odds. The next way to play pocket aces is just being aggressive on each street. Good understanding of what are the odds when playing small pocket pairs in various scen. For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final board is K-J-7-5-2; A straight. When facing a raise you have to think about your opponent. While it seems like you get dealt pairs a lot, the actual odds of receiving any pocket pair is just 5. According to PokerSnowie, you can only call such a raise with JJ or better. The pace of the poker game is often dictated by the first hand you play. ). Pocket Twos have the best efficiency of all the pocket pairs because almost every hand has two overcards against it. Playing small pocket pairs can be a challenge as they can give you a false sense of a strong hand, while in reality, their value is relatively weak if not. Why? These are the main ways your pocket pair can lose: Hitting at least one of the overcards. This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. Always remember to be aware of your position, the opponent’s. Many players try to play middle and smaller pairs from early position. From early position its completely fine to just fold or you can semi-bluff raise a small percentage of the time, I know low pairs make up a limping range for some guys but I personally don’t include them. Below you will find a list of poker hands in order from highest to lowest to help you get started, as well as the top starting hands for. This article covers: How to play Pocket Threes in common preflop situations. When you are dealt two cards of the same rank, you are dealt a pocket pair, for example – A♥A♦ and K♦K♣. The best hands to play in poker preflop will always be big pocket pairs (such as Ace-Ace, King-King and Queen-Queen), followed by big suited connectors such as Ace-King, as well as medium pairs. When the Button Raises on the Flop1. Poker Rules; Poker Hands; Poker Games; Poker Terms; Online Poker with Friends;Pocket eights are to be played to do one of two things: trip-up on the flop so that you have a very good set, or steal the pot by managing the hand as if it is, or could be, stronger than it really is. The best way to play pocket pairs in this instance is simply to set mine, if you make a set on the flop you have a really strong hand, if you miss you can get out of the way without losing too. They are two cards of the same rank; for example, A♥ A♦ and K♦ K♣. At a six-handed table, however, the odds another player has a higher pocket pair are reduced to 16. You want to lean toward betting whether you hit the Queen or the Ten top pair. First of all, if he or she has a small pockt pair, they are tended to limp in the pot and try to catch, and likely to fold to moderate. , Jacks or Queens) but still have significant potential to win if played correctly. If you raise with these pocket pairs you’re building a pot with a weak hand. The Odds of Being Dealt Pocket Pairs. 1. The ability to go all-in profitably with small pocket pairs when short-stacked makes them straightforward and easy to play. Pocket Kings and Queens are great starting hands but playing them in a wrong way can quickly get you in trouble. You don't need to double up or stack someone EVERY TIME you hit a set, limping in for 2 bucks and winning a 60-100 dollar pot with a set is a great result. Aces with weak kickers are back in play, as are medium pocket pairs. Being the one who initiates the action, or someone who follows, determines how to enter a hand. Hello, i've been playing a lot of cash games online lately, mostly 0,05/0,10, and dont really know how to play big pocket pairs after flop when there is an overcard. When you flop two pair, trips, a straight or a flush, you should basically always fast-play your hand. 9% chance of being dealt a pocket pair. The deeper or larger your stack is, the more profitable it becomes to play small pairs due to the high implied odds on hitting a set. 45% of chances of receiving pocket pairs in Texas Hold’em while. Pocket pairs in Texas Hold'em are very useful cards. There are 4 or 5 overcards, depending on your top pair, that will crumble the expected value of your hand. HOW TO PLAY POCKET PAIRS Pocket pairs is the most difficult hole cards for you to learn how to play. There are thirteen different pocket pairs (one for each rank) and six different ways of making each. Tips for Playing Middle Pocket Pairs After Calling In Position vs 3-Bet Tip #1: After hitting a set on the flop, do not raise You’ve hit. Small pocket pairs might look nice as a starting hand, but you should be dumping most of them in early position. These include two jacks, two queens, two kings and two aces. It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. . The less opponents in the hand the better. Pocket Pairs. That being said, most players can’t help themselves and c-bet much. If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. Raises before the flop can work well with middle pocket pairs; however this does not mean that you should make a raise just because you think you have a good pair. Small pocket pairs can be very profitable in poker because they can flop a set. When faced with a 3-bet, you should always call with pocket eights. The one hand that gives beginners more trouble than ace-king or even ace-queen has to be pocket jacks. Play pocket pairs aggressively . In this situation, you’ve run into what’s called “kicker problems. Certainly, hands like 2-2 to 5-5 should be folded to any LP raise. It’s one of the best feelings in the game of Texas. Checking with Jack-Nine on a board like 974 would be a pretty bad mistake. In this vlog, I discuss how to play mid pocket pairs and why it's very important to understand their SD value post flop. Add a second player with another pocket pair to the hand and your chance at losing the pot doubles. 1. For example, A ♠ A ♥, A ♠ A ♦, A ♠ A ♣, A ♥ A ♦, A ♥ A ♣, A ♦ A ♣. The less opponents in the hand the better. A: There are 6 combos of each pocket pair, meaning across 13 different card values, there are 78 combos of pocket pairs. Q: How many combos of unpaired hands are there in poker? A: There are 16 combinations of each unpaired hand (4 suited, 12 unsuited). Flop c-betting range: Sets, two pairs, most top pairs, 2 nd pairs, 3 rd pairs, low pocket pairs, open-enders, all gut-shots, runner-runner flush draws. Since a Set is stronger than a Straight in this variant, you should play pocket pairs more aggressively and not be afraid to call 3-bets with any pocket pair. Many beginners. If you miss bets with these types of hands. Middle pocket pairs refer to pairs like 8-8, 9-9, or 10-10, and they can be tricky because they are not as strong as high pairs (e. As soon as there are more than three opponents in the pot, middle pocket pairs are less likely to hold up without improvement. I always have trouble playing low pocket pairs (55’s and lower) 9 handed. Pocket Jacks are tricky because they won’t flop an overpair as often as other premium pocket pairs. Anytime you flop the under set in a set-over-set situation, you will be lucky if you don't lose your entire stack. Suppose you are playing $1/$3 no-limit hold'em and before the flop, you raise to $12 in early position with a pair of jacks. Photo by Hassan Khalid. Don t make the mistake of thinking pocket tens or jacks are great all-in hands, they are good hands but need to be played well. Playing small pairs incorrectly is one of the biggest mistakes that less experienced players make. Pocket aces are without a doubt the best starting hand one can be dealt in the game of hold’em. The one hand that gives beginners more trouble than ace-king or even ace-queen has to be pocket jacks. Tip #2: Semi-bluff with backdoor draws on the flop and prepare to bet big on the turn. 3% to 11. Because of this, you should always raise with Pocket Sevens preflop when the action folds to you, regardless of your position. 1. 1% – a drop of 52. You square up your hole cards. Small Pocket Pairs are a Drawing Hand. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. Pocket queens should be one of your absolute biggest winnings hands. Pocket Nines. . You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. 9 out of 48 = 18% - third card. While a deceptive second pair, it is still a second pair four times out of ten and a weak pair once out of every ten times, resulting in a 50-50 chance of susceptibility to being outdrawn. 888poker investigates how often you should be playing them and whether to raise, call or fold. Counting Combos: Pocket Pairs Let's try one. How to Play Medium Pocket Pairs Next up, we’re going to take a closer look at how to play medium pocket pairs. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Pocket tens can be a confusing hand to play. Other variations are Big Queen and Big Chick. I know there is no perfect, guaranteed, positive, all encompassing answer on how to play small to medium pocket pairs, and I have tried various strategies from Jamming pre to limping and other. An example: We have either JJ or QQ and are in late or mid position. This is a difficult hand for the draw, because. You can either open the pot 4xBBs or you can limp. If you’re dealt a pair of queens when you play poker online games, you’ll have the last of the top three best starting hands. When blockers are in play, we can use two simple rules to count up specific combos. In live 1-2, getting tricky with them and trying to steal (after missing) is usually a mistake. The remaining 88%, you will be left holding a weak pair, often with two to three overcards on the board, and limited outs to improve. If you play pocket Jacks in a tournament, you can expect players to call all-in in later rounds, even. Get Bonus £400. Mostly call to see a cheap flop as the chances of hitting a Set (Three of a Kind) is 10. Hit the board in a big way. They should be raised from. 2. If you play against one random hand, the probability to win is 77% to 85% of the time. Once you get a set, playing passively is the last thing you want to do. They have very little potential, but if the right cards open on the flop, you can win big. If you get any of these pairs in your hand, you have a reasonably strong chance of winning a one-on-one confrontation. Pocket Tens. Small pocket pairs might look nice as a starting hand, but you should be dumping most of them in early position. Therefore, while playing pocket pairs you can win large pots if you play smartly and strategically or lose. Players don’t play poker in a vacuum; each player’s hand must measure up against his opponent’s, especially if a player goes all-in before the flop. Particularly in Texas Hold’em poker, the position at every hand is key in making a strategic decision. Being dealt pocket QQs is kind of a mixed blessing. The notation 22+ means you should be playing 22 and all other higher-ranking pocket pairs. Medium pocket pairs have some commonality with small pocket pairs, which usually need help to prevail at a showdown. You would need to understand what makes a good PLO hand what doesn't. In summary, the key to playing with a pair of queens is to use the combination of your hand strength before the flop, good position at the table and judgment of the meaning of your opponent's bets and raises. 4. For that reason it's OK to limp pocket pairs from any position. A small pocket pair would be considered as 22’s to 77’s. Tom’s check is best here even though he has all the pocket pairs up to Aces in his. 3% to 11. Most of the time you should limp in full ring games, though you can vary your play by raising about 20% of the time when no one has opened the pot. You can get to showdown and beat someone with no pair or a smaller pair. In this classic Cardrunners poker training video, poker coach Verneer is joined by Matt Doran to look at the "top-secret" MDoranD Database,'" to discuss how. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. How to Play Pocket Pairs | A Winner’s Guide "Plays" Strategies by Team RedSharkPoker 3 years ago 0 1048 Who doesn’t love pocket pairs in poker! Seeing two cards of the same value brings a big smile to your. It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. 7 percent. The comparative looseness or tight playing styles from opponents who re-raise will give you a lot of. Unless you hit a set or better, pocket Jacks can be extremely vulnerable to both overcards and bigger pocket pairs. How to play pocket kings. In these situations, the small pairs can realize their maximum equity by going all-in preflop. Hand. Many amateurs fall into this bad habit because they are the #1 starting hand. This makes a total of 78 combos out of 1,326. 33 and 22 are small pocket pairs. . Set: 10. If you’re losing with this hand over a lot of. The problem is that you’re risking a lot of money upfront, only to concede it a large majority of time postflop. The best, in this case, is when you flop your low pocket pair set. You only have like a one in ten chance of hitting a set, which means on average you should try and make 10x your return of your preflop bet to make the strategy of set mining profitable. After the flop you need to put your opponent on a range and analyze the strength of your hand before deciding how to proceed. Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible. Against a single player with a random hand, you win 85% of the time, which equates to an $85 profit. I like to raise the low PP's (22-55) in EP some 60-70% of the time and play them just as I would any big pair. Remember, the majority of hands heads-up are won by a high card or a single pair. Pocket queens. As relative stack sizes get lower, the value of suited connectors goes down, because their value relies on being able to win a massive pot and. Maximizing Profit with Pocket Pairs: A Comprehensive Guide. The chance that you're opponent may fold increasing the profit from playing this hand considerably. How to Play Pocket Nines on Different Board Textures As mentioned in the introduction, hands like pocket nines can be very tricky to play correctly, particularly postflop. The ability to go all-in profitably with small pocket pairs when short-stacked makes them straightforward and easy to play. Tip #1: If you have an underpair to the flop, check back most of the time. We might speak of this situation — holding a premium pocket pair and facing a higher card on the flop — as presenting three possible courses of action, two of which. 3-bet if another player has raised. JJ is such a trouble hand that most beginners actually even hate having it dealt to them. In sum, play the fit or fold for cheap, unless you hit your. Pocket pairs are a favorite type of hand for many players. Q–Q is usually worth a raise or three-bet (this. There are 6 different ways to form a. Middle position gives players a little more breathing room to play low pocket pairs. Ks-Kc-Qd-Jh-5h. However, they put $100 each, so that’s 48% of $500, i. Multi-way pots after the flop. However in No Limit Holdem there are a number of things that should limit how you play them. When you hit a monster hand on a flop like or , start piling money in that pot! If you raised preflop, c-bet on the flop. Jacks are technically the better pre-flop hand versus any two random cards but jacks also have an unfortunate habit of losing massive. To gain information on the other players in the pot. Don’t get married to your hand. The more you play and begin to recognize the strengths of different types of hands, the. By contrast hands like suited connectors, suited aces, and small pocket pairs can play well against multiple opponents. It should be full of suited connectors and mid to low-value pocket pairs. Against good, tight-aggressive players, small pocket pairs don’t play well when you’re out of. In the case of having low pocket pairs, the position becomes even more important and, as usual, several factors need to be considered. 9. , $240. Take turns until someone reaches 10,000 points. Usually, it's not a good idea to call all-in re-raises, especially in situations when you play cash games, because there's a considerable risk that other players who go all-in will do so with big pocket pairs (often bigger than pocket Queens). These outcomes include: Having enough opponents to supply the correct pot odds. Your goal is still to flop a set, but your post-flop play will. Usually, it's not a good idea to call all-in re-raises, especially in situations when you play cash games, because there's a considerable risk that other players who go all-in will do so with big pocket pairs (often bigger than pocket Queens). 7%, or a 56. Still, most players get a twinge of excitement when they see a pair of pocket jacks knowing they're holding a top 5 hand. One major leak I see people make is calling big raises with baby pairs against short stacked players. By Matthew Cluff. Any raise and you can be sure there is an over pocket pair or something like an A-10 or A-J staring at you. 1. Any raise and you can be sure there is an over pocket pair or something like an A-10 or A-J staring at you. The odds of you being dealt a pair of pocket aces (the best starting hand in poker) is 0. Do not slowplay. Online Poker » Poker Strategy » Texas Hold Em » Playing Pocket Queens. Do not slowplay. Each one is remarkably simple but effective. A top pair on the flop is a very strong hand that can get a lot of value with a c-bet. Your opponent should bet very large here, like 75% of the pot. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. It is essential to evaluate the playing field and see if the raise would be beneficial by thinning out the field. You have a 12% chance of flopping a set (making three of a kind on the flop), and you have fairly good odds of making an opponent with an overpair or top pair go bust. Unopened Pots. This is a relatively rare occurrence, with the probability of being dealt a pocket pair at approximately 6%. . Tip #1: Always c-bet for value when you flop top pair. With that in mind, the focus of this. To compensate for the lack of information when opening first, you should stick to a tight range of strong hands, including high-pocket pairs, suited aces, and suited broadway hands, to maximize your chances of winning the pot. The medium pocket pairs are 10-10,9-9, 8-8, 7-7 and 6-6. Note: Do not play another hand without this $7 Postflop Playbook! With such a low price tag,.