We all know that two pair is NEVER the nuts and bottom two pair is even further from a guaranteed win. I think their are two common mistakes when playing bottom two pair from what I've noticed at the NL $10 and $25 levels. Extreme over-aggression or extreme slowplaying.


People who are extremely over-aggressive with bottom two pair usually fall into two lines of thinking. One group believes they've flopped something special and should get paid-off big time. The other thinks that you need to scare out draws, overcards and top pair because 'they always draw out on you'. Mostly these people bet pot-sized or overbet the pot.

Exteme slowplayers of bottom two pair seem to think that its so unlikely that they'll lose that they often check the flop, and sometimes check call down to the river and then raise(similar to how some of them play a set).


I personally fall closer to the over aggressive crowd. Making 3/4 sized pot bets on the flop and then betting straight out to the river. I don't want to discourage callers, but don't want too many chasers with what I view as a 'vulnerable hand'. I seem to lose more money on these hands than I make often running into someone smooth calling a higher two pair or a set.

I'm curious to see how are others playing bottom two pair.