Small pocket pairs...

At 2NL, should I be raising ALL pps pre? Right now I generally tend to l/c 22-77 and bet 88+. What about facing a 3bet? I know it can be read dependent, but against your typical 2NL 40/20 are you generally laying down 22-JJ?

What do you do w small pps when you limp than get raised to 5 or 6x and the flop will be heads up no matter what?

Should I just stick to what I've always known and raise all pps and call regular sized bets and lay it down on the flop? It's very possible the only reason I'm thinking of being more passive with them is because my hit set on flop% is ~6% Shocked

(only 3k hands, but still) .

If someone could set me straight it'd be much appreicated.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP2 ($2.36)
CO ($4.95)
Button ($0.57)
SB ($4.34)
BB ($3.08)
Hero (UTG) ($2)
UTG+1 ($0.98)
MP1 ($1.80)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5

, 5

Hero calls $0.02, 3 folds, CO bets $0.10, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.23) 4

, A

, 9

(2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.12, Hero folds

Total pot: $0.23 | Rake: $0

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($1.92)
Button ($0.96)
SB ($1.57)
BB ($3.50)
UTG ($4.80)
UTG+1 ($0.82)
Hero (MP1) ($3.48)
MP2 ($1.30)
MP3 ($4.52)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 3

, 3

UTG bets $0.10, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.10, 6 folds

Flop: ($0.23) A

, 2

, 9

(2 players)
UTG bets $0.10, Hero folds

Total pot: $0.23 | Rake: $0

I would open with small pps instead of limping-calling, then c/f when missed. This gives you an opportunity to cbet and take it down on the flop, and your hand isn't so transparent when you limp-call pre then c/raise the flop.

I used to limp/call with small pp's but then I learned how to play poker. Unless you're getting tricky with a big pocket pair against the right set of opponents, don't limp/call. If you don't want to raise 66-22 from EP, just fold. Limp/calling is not the best EV play so try to do it much less.

As a general rule for now, if:
- The pot is unopened
- You have two cards
- You don't want to fold

You should raise.

Alright, that's what I figured- dunno really why I stopped raising them in the first place.

Thanks

at 2nl with 22-77 i would just limp behind. if no one has limped or raised, then i raise it myself

... wait. So I SHOULDNT be raising limped pots w the small pps?

What about raised pots? Calling, right?

I'd have folded the 33 in your second hand, IMO opener shows strength by opening from UTG and well 33 is a pretty low pocker pair. But I'd have probably played the first hand the same way. in general, i might limp low/mid pocket pairs from EP, but otherwise i'll try to raise

Hand 2 is fine. It would be a more marginal call at say low-mid stakes due to the increased chances of villains left to act showing aggression by squeezing with a wide range, etc (which still doesn't occur all that often at FR, but for sure at 200nl 6m). In which case, you will most likely fold to the 3bet. However, at 2nl where the norm for players wanting to continue here is to "tag along" and overcall the open. Which isn't a bad result as you now have a large multiway pot with sufficient implied odds.

On the flop in hand 2, there is no reason to do anything tricky really. If he was cbetting often, I could see the merit of bluff raising, or more likely floating, but I wouldn't choose to do it with 33 here.

Hand 1 is where the problem lies. I would have either raised to $0.08c or folded preflop. And I would have most certainly cbet this flop, and very likely to have won the pot.

It's perfectly OK to raise small pp's from early position-- you should be aware, however, that it is also perfectly OK to fold them (and you should if you are in aggressive game and the players acting after you often raise).

Here are the things to understand about this:
1. Unless you hit a set, small pairs play best when you are in position. That's where you are able to make a judgment as to whether anyone was likely to have hit the flop and drawn ahead of your pair.
2. Unless you hit a set, small pairs play best against 1 or 2 opponents, because the greater the number of opponents, the greater likelihood someone got a piece of the flop.
3. When you are playing for a set, small pairs play best against multiple opponents, giving you greater implied odds.
4. Raising your small pair is ideal when you are trying to limit the field and win hands where your pair holds up or you take advantage of fold equity.
5. However, raising your small pair also cuts your implied odds and is likely to make your sets less profitable.

You asked about whether or not to limp behind.

For simplicity, with 1 limper you should always raise or fold, and with 3+ limpers you should limp behind. Not always true but good enough for $2nl.

With 2 limpers, the correct answer is nearly always - raise. Unless one of the two limpers is a calling station (so you can go broke AFTER you hit your set), raising is preferable. If you have any FE, raise.

I'm no statistical genius, but I'd like to see someone's printout that shows that the player makes a profit raising small pp's from early position.

I am not saying this isn't possible, but betting plays that are based in large part on using c-bets to get better hands to fold are quite risky out of position. This sounds like the sort of thing that players like to do because it allows them to be more aggressive and play more hands, but as John Wooden said, "never confuse activity for achievement".

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Small pocket pairs...