How to play Pocket Queens in No-Limit Hold'em

How to Play Pocket Queens in No-Limit Texas Hold'em
Pocket Queens, or The Ladies, is third most powerful starting hand in No-Limit Hold'em.

Pocket Queens



Preflop Play
The way you play QQ preflop depends on the position you are in. Often, you will be in there raising with your pair of queens. You want to go to the flop facing only one or two opponents.

Early Position
When no one has raised before you, you should make a strong opening raise of about 4 BB to 5 BB. The amount also depends on how loose or tight the game is. If the game is very loose, you may even have to raise to 6 BB or more. Your objective is to narrow the field down to 1 or 2 opponents.

If the pot has been raised, reraise by the amount that is in the pot. Example, if there is an opening raise of 4 BB and two callers, including the blinds, there is a total of 15 BB. You should make it 15 BB to play.

Middle Position
Again, when no one has raised in front of you, you should raise to about 4 BB to discourage weak holdings from calling. Reraise by the amount that is in the pot if the pot has been raised.

Late Position
If the pot is unraised, with only a few more players and the blinds left, you can reduce the size of your opening raise to 3 BB. Again, limit the field with a pot sized reraise if there is a raised pot. Ideally, you want to go to the flop against a single opponent.

Playing the Flop
With a pair of queens in hand, you normally enter the flop strong. However, as with all pocket pairs, the chance of improving your hand on the flop is slim. The odds of making a set is only 1 in 8.

Flopping Aces or Kings
This is a flop you don't want to see when holding QQ. When it happens, fire off a continuation bet and hope the other guy fold. If you face any resistance, it's time to fold.

Flopping Undercards
A very common flop and a pretty good one when you are holding pocket queens. With an overpair, you are likely to be holding the best hand. As usual, bet strong here to make drawing hands pay to play.

Flopping a Set
A huge flop for anyone holding pocket queens. The potential payoff is huge. While you still need to protect your hand from drawing hands by betting out, the good news is that even if your opponent manages to make that straight or flush, there is a good chance you can beat him with a full house by the river.

Playing The Turn and the River
As you have only 2 outs when playing QQ, most of the time, you should be folding when there is a reraise on the turn or river.

Your opponent will reraise you when he hit his draw or he has been slowplaying his set, or if he is bluffing. However, its usually wiser to lose a small pot to the occasional bluff than to lose many big pots where you have been beaten.

Even if you hit your third queen here, you must be careful that the queen did not make someone else's straight or flush.

All-in Preflop
Unless you are playing a loose live game and your bankroll is healthy, I don't recommend you go all-in preflop with pocket queens. Save your money and do it when you are dealt pocket kings or pocket aces.

I'm waiting for the comments.

I'm really not sure about the last part. You can't sit around waiting for kings or aces to push. If you do, you'll wind getting blinded out. In most games, you'll get calls by people with AK, AQ, and lower pocket pairs, as long as the all in isn't for a terribly large amount. Pushing here can often be very profitable.

I agree with this for sure. In a tourny if you're under or around 10 BB queens are an instant push. I would push them up to 15 or 20 BB especially if there's limpers in front. In a cashgame though queens shouldn't normally be pushed with a big stack unless you have a read on the other player(s).

raise em hard pre-flop, but be ready to muck em if you hit hard resistance or a king or ace flops. one thing i have seen with queens a few times is a standard 3-5 blind raise, that is reraised then both are allin, other caller is likely KK or AA.

I'm not sure I agree with your statement that they are 3 strongest hand pre-flop. AK, particularly suited, is equal to pocket queens in my mind. For instance QQ only has has a marginal edge over smaller pocket pairs facing AK. Also, AK is alot easier to give up after the flop than QQ if you don't improve.

Not sure what the "waiting for comments" is for. Wasn't this originally a guide on how to play Q's?

with most of what you wrote other than the size of the pre-flop raise and re-raises. I will either do 2 or 3 BB with this hand because so many times someone will call with Ace rag even if you bet 4, 5, 6 BB. This way you can save your chips until after the flop. Once the flop comes and you dont see an ace or king then you can throw out your bets accordingly. But to wager that much money pre-flop with the chance of getting called by a stupid player before you see the flop is not the best move in my opinion.

Unless you're trying to trap, you should pretty much never min raise (2 BBs). Also, the point of making a raise bigger than 3 BB is so that Ace rag will fold. If you are playing with good players, they will fold ace rag to a 4+ x the BB bet. Honestly, if you're are just going to min raise, you might as well just limp.

I have gotten beat with pocket QQ alot no matter how many times the bb I raise someone always calls with Ace anything and seems like I always get beat on the turn or the river.

Then throw out a pot sized bet on the flop and they won't call with overs.

Well i just wanted to see the comments about my guide.

Btw thank you guys for the replies... I'm happy that most of you agreed, and found my post useful.

i didnt read whole post, but the bit about bet/folding on a ace or king flop is wrong.

We should be check/calling in a standard wa/wb spot

QQ is better than AK suited. About 55 % of the time, queens will win. That's a reasonably significant difference. Also, there's a reason that AK is easier to give up post flop and that is that there are far more flops that are good for queens than there are that are good for AK suited. Short of hitting an A or K, which only happens a third of the time, whoever has the queens will be in the lead, and so they will likely be able to bet enough to avoid giving equity on pretty much any draw. Now, let's assume a good scenario for the AK. Lets say the flop the nut straight (rainbow). In that case, they still only have a 65% chance to win, because any pair on the board loses it for them.

I agree a strong pre-flop bet is a necessity. Early in a tourney I min raised with QQ UTG and got re raised 3x the pot and called, didn`t re-raise back. Turned out the villian (my nephew by the way) hit a set on a 2c 6h 10c flop. (pocket 6`s) I made a pot sized bet, he raised and I didn`t belive his punk ass and pushed. Anyway that was a short tournament for me. The failure to re-raise was my downfall for I feel he surely would have folded pocket 6`s if I come over the top. The min raise is an odd move but I wanted to get some chips in since it was early for me. In other words, I totally misplayed the entire hand. Live and learn.

Queens are not just marginally better than AK. Yes, all-in preflop it's a virtual coin flip, however, a good preflop raise followed by a pot size bet on the flop should get rid of AK when it doesn't connect. AK only gets to see three flop cards and becomes a big dog. In fact, with a large preflop raise, QQ makes a large portion of its profit from AK. Who else is calling this big raise? The min raise with QQ is interesting. What are you trying to do? With many preflop callers and in late position, a min raise now only builds a big pot. QQ isn't going to win uninproved and your are now hoping to flop a set. You have effectively turned QQ into 22 (with the one advantage of not having to worry too much about set over set). I prefer to take QQ heads up with a big preflop raise (or win it outright) or against a big field hoping to hit a set. Disaster is middle ground (4-6 for the flop). Now you can easily loose a lot of chips with a good pair against some stupid two pair you can't see.
Comments?

Ya i do not know about whenver having QQ thinking that somoene else has KK or AA, i mean sure it happens but the chances are slim. Also somone could easily have the infimous AK and end up flopping, turning or rivering you too death. QQ is a sketch hand