$11 - Playing pocket pairs

[zook]

I could use some general advice on playing medium and low pocket pairs. My approach has been to limp from almost any position, hope to hit a set, and if I don't check/fold. I'm pretty sure this is less than optimal though. I'd welcome general thoughts, but I'm also including 3 HHs from a recent sng I played that I unsure about.

1. Ok to call the 3XBB pre-flop raise? Should I have bet at all post-flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t60 (7 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

MP2 (t1565)
CO (t1790)
Hero (t1810)SB (t1690)
BB (t2300)
UTG (t5555)
MP1 (t5290)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, 9.
2 folds, MP2 raises to t195, 1 fold, Hero calls t195, 2 folds.
Flop: (t480) K, 7, T (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks.
Turn: (t480) 2 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks.
River: (t480) 7 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: t480
Results in white below:
MP2 has Qc As (one pair, sevens).
Hero has 9s 9d (two pair, nines and sevens).
Outcome: Hero wins t480.

2. Ok limp pre-flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (7 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

UTG (t1110)
MP1 (t1960)
Hero (t1465)
CO (t1125)
Button (t2400)
SB (t7335)
BB (t4605)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 3, 3.
2 folds, Hero calls t100, 3 folds, BB checks.
Flop: (t250) T, 9, 7 (2 players)
BB bets t175, Hero folds.
Final Pot: t425

3. Same question as 2. I have a feeling that with my tiny stack this should be a push or fold?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (7 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

SB (t810)
BB (t1960)
Hero (t1365)
MP1 (t1125)
MP2 (t2400)
CO (t7635)
Button (t4705)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5, 5.
Hero calls t100, MP1 calls t100, 3 folds, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: (t400) 9, K, T (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, MP1 bets t200, SB folds, BB folds, Hero folds.
Final Pot: t600

Thanks,

Zook

[konahead]

hand 1 - you need to bet the turn here. Not many opps would continue to trap-check the turn if they have a hand. You could even bet that flop when opp checks, if you are pretty sure he isn't an habitual slow-player... but thats a particularly ugly flop with a K and a T. Not a terrible play to keep the pot small...

hands 2 and 3 - you no longer have enough chips to limp in with low pp at the 100 blind level. I would probably limp 88 here at the minimum, although given your stack and 100 blinds, I probably just push 88+ there. Save your chips for a pushable hand.

[Fortune 500]

Playing small pairs is a book unto itself, I think. There are so many variables...

I just got a good idea for a post... hmm.

[taipan168]

Hand 1 - I think I play this one the same. I call the PF raise, but the K and the T on the flop are bad news for 99. I can see the case for betting into opp's weakness on the flop or turn but depending on the buyin, you might get called down by something like AT or QT.

Hand 2 - In MP I dump this, you can't call off 7% of your stack hoping to hit a set.

Hand 3 - UTG you have to dump this, particularly when there are 6 players still to act after you. If your stack was say 800 I would push this but with 1365 I'm finding a better spot.

[zook]

Thanks for the comments, they're helpful.

For hands 2&3, what if my stack were bigger? Say 3000. Do these small pairs merit limps or raises at this stage of the game?

Zook

[vqc]

Thanks for the comments, they're helpful.

For hands 2&3, what if my stack were bigger? Say 3000. Do these small pairs merit limps or raises at this stage of the game?

Zook

Dpeends on the table, but in general I am more inclined to be raising at these blind leves than limping. At the same time notice that ur play from UTG and CO should be different given identical stack sizes and hands.

[taipan168]

For hands 2&3, what if my stack were bigger? Say 3000. Do these small pairs merit limps or raises at this stage of the game?

Hand 2 - If my stack was 3000 I would consider limping this but would probably still fold. Remember that the SB and BB in this hand have you outstacked, if they raise you have to toss it away. If my stack was 8000 I would raise this in MP.

Hand 3 - UTG with 6 active players I dump this even if my stack was 3000 (and probably 8000 as well). The problem with raising this is that the SB is the shortstack here, and if he pushes over you have to dump it and piss away 300 chips, or risk doubling the shortstack up.

Agree with VQC, if either of these were folded to you on the CO or button I would be raising with them, particularly if the table was weak/tight.

[konahead]

I'll EP or MP limp any small pp if it costs me 2.5% or less of my stack. So I'd need 4000 to limp in at the 100 level. I'd raise (a lot) in CO or button with the 55, but not the 33. With 33 I just want to see a cheap flop...

[drmcboy]

You'll set 1 in 8 or so on the flop. High level, you want to be able to win enough once to cover the limp the other 7 times when you whiff. So you want at least a 1k stack or so to limp if it's 100. But, in EP it's iffy since you may be raised, and in LP it may be better to try and steal. And remember, you may not double up every time you make a set, which is why kona ends up at 2.5 %. Also, it's not just your stack, it's most of the stacks in a hand. You can afford to limp 100 with 22 if your stack is 10k, but if everyone else has 1.5k, there is no point.

You can reduce it a bit with something like a 99 since you may flop over pair.