Preflop Question: Pocket Pairs

1). Pocket pairs (22-JJ) are the only hands with which i will call a preflop raise. With all other hands i will either raise or fold. Certainly there are situations where you are getting >4:1 and then i would call with a much wider range of hands, but in general does anyone think this is a bad idea?


2). I was wondering if i might want to start 3betting pocket pairs (22-JJ) preflop, since then i then would become the aggressor in the hand, and have an opportunity to take the pot down postflop. Obviously, smart players will realize this quickly and i will have to start playing bigger pots postflop with more marginal hands. Is this a bad idea?

I might try this in a small session at 100NL tonight, unless i hear strong dissenting opionions.

Since you play full ring I'd advice not to reraise with pocket pairs 22-99. TT/JJ are reraises for me alot of the time in the right spots.

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1). Pocket pairs (22-JJ) are the only hands with which i will call a preflop raise.

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As I said above, you could reraise TT/JJ in the right spots, you could also reraise 88+ against obvious steals from people you know to steal to much.

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With all other hands i will either raise or fold.

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AA = fold. Just kidding, it should be raise, reraise, and push. Not "raise or fold". Exception is QQ every once in a while.

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Certainly there are situations where you are getting >4:1 and then i would call with a much wider range of hands, but in general does anyone think this is a bad idea?

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I really think you should read the sticky in this forum about pocket pairs and really read up about implied odds. It seems you may not have a grasp on them.

As usual, i did a lousy job articulating my question :)

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AA = fold. Just kidding, it should be raise, reraise, and push. Not "raise or fold". Exception is QQ every once in a while.

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I agree with this. But, i wasn't referring only to higher pairs than J-J. I was referring to hands like A-10 or 7-8s. I probably need to start proofreading my posts before i submit them :lol: .

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As I said above, you could reraise TT/JJ in the right spots, you could also reraise 88+ against obvious steals from people you know to steal to much.

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My reason for wanting to start 3betting all pocket pairs more often was to disguise my big pairs better. Since i am usually only 3betting SC's in LP(giving me the occasional free turn card if my c-bet gets called and they check to me on the turn), if i reraise in MP a smart player can usually figure out that i have a good hand.

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I really think you should read the sticky in this forum about pocket pairs and really read up about implied odds. It seems you may not have a grasp on them.

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the 4:1 i was referring to was expressed odds/pot odds. The types of hands i was referring to were hands like 10-6s, Q-9o. I should have mentioned i was not referring to implied odds. I skimmed through Fnord's post again, as well as the responses. btw i usually only call with PP's preflop when set hunting if villan stack is 15x greater than his raise. If i figure my opponent to be very loose, i might sometimes take thinner implied odds - closer to 10x the preflop raise.

I threw the original post up in a hurry. I hope this clears things up a bit.

Also, i am going to try 3betting a lot more preflop playing 100NL. I will post my results for this evening when i am finished.

The only time i decided to reraise with a pocket pair preflop, the guy shoved. lol

Suited connectors are very profitable to cold call with in position, especially in Full Ring. You have to be aggro with your draws, though.

i dont play up there anymore, so take my 2 cents for what its priced.

to me, in your 3rd post you say that you want to raise all pp's to disguise you bigger pp's better. yet, you say in your OP that you only call with pp's JJ-, anything else you decide to play you RR with.

isnt that a bit of a contradiction? you cannot be so predictable and then "try" to disguise stuff. you sound like you need to committ to change, instead of testing waters.

and... in a FR game, i wouldnt raise 22-TT, unless on the CO or BU with weak blinds. i certainly wouldnt RR them.

if i am you, i play MORE marginal stuff to standard raises to disguise my pp's. sc's and gaps in multi-way pots. maybe every-so-often call in a HU pot with AJ or AK...just against regulars you suspect have reads on you. i like to "look like" the table idiot (i think you can get away with this even up at 100) by being the one to open-limp from ep, and call any limp with crazy hands. leads people to think i am the donkey when really it gets the table in a passive mood and THEY start open-limping, too, giving me free reign to raise whatever i want whenever i want, and limp whatever i want whenever i want. lots of money gets made when you have the freedom to "change gears" with all sorts of stuff.

i think your answer may be to open up a bit to inexpensive pf stuff, not play more aggro...yet.

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1). Pocket pairs (22-JJ) are the only hands with which i will call a preflop raise. With all other hands i will either raise or fold. Certainly there are situations where you are getting >4:1 and then i would call with a much wider range of hands, but in general does anyone think this is a bad idea?

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This is what i have been doing. I was proposing an alternative to this strategy when i suggested that i might start 3betting all pocket pairs more often. I needed to make that more clear in the OP, my bad :oops:

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Suited connectors are very profitable to cold call with in position, especially in Full Ring. You have to be aggro with your draws, though.

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I had not considered whether SC's would be profitable when played this way. But, obviously an opponent is just as likely to have missed the flop as i was when he bets simply because he raised preflop. And i love raising draws on the flop. Thanks for writing this.

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Originally Posted by Vi-Zer0Skill

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AA = fold. Just kidding, it should be raise, reraise, and push. Not "raise or fold". Exception is QQ every once in a while.

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I agree with this. But, i wasn't referring only to higher pairs than J-J. I was referring to hands like A-10 or 7-8s. I probably need to start proofreading my posts before i submit them :lol: .

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I actually thought that but then looked at the title of the thread again...