Small pairs utg

When dealt a small pair utg , what do you consider a small pair on a full table, in a tourney,, lets say late stage verse early stage.

Early I always try to limp them in, unless I have already determined the table to be very aggressive.

Late, I'll limp them at a tight table if I have a good size stack. If I am short stacked, I'll push em.

OOOPS. What pairs do I consider small? 22, 33, 44, all the time, I guess. lol

limp with small pairs UTG, if fold isn't scary, lead out half to 2/3 pot and fold to any reraise, gives you another chance to take the pot down at the flop and maybe see another card on the turn, pretty much check/fold if flop or turn doesn't improve your hand

Early on I'll fold 99 on down routinely unless I know the table is very passive and I can limp or I haven't played a hand in a few orbits and decide I'll make some sort of bluff type raise with them.

Late, with low effective M (either mine or those acting after me), I'll raise or go all-in. If stacks are still healthy I'll play them the same as early in the tourney.

I consider low pairs to be 22 - 66. Early position I fold them. Middle position usually limp. Late position usually raise. Late in a tourney with big blinds all in.

What does that mean, please?

your stack size divided by the cost of playing one orbit of blinds/antes

example

your stack: 3,000
blinds: 100/200(300 total)

3,000/300=10M

if there's ante's you'll need to account for them as well.

Thanks for clarifying that, need to understand all this jargon

Good question! I maintain that 44 and 99 have been consistently good for me. I have won against players with a set of aces or set of kings by ending up with quads. I would be a bit aggressive personally since it works for me. For some people low pairs spells disaster, but I still prefer to pushing it and since the other players have no idea what you have, I might even initiate a very nice 5x or 6x blind reraise and force the bad players out and give me a small psychological advantage. Each to their own, but I have had success with baby pairs, but I am cautious with 22 and 33, otherwise, I go for the gusto. It is a matter of personal choice really.

Makes a difference if it's a tourny or a ring game too (big difference)

Don't have to worry about your M in a ring game.

I like to limp in early in tournys with 77 or under and if i hit a seven the be very aggressive on the flop especially a flop with 7 and face cards hoping they hit one of the over cards and will call

Since I started following the advice in this thread I seem to have done best with 88 - not sure why! Quite often seem to lose with 10 10 though

I have won my fair share of life saving short stack utg games with 44 as the best pocket pairs of all time. I seem to be able to depend on them, and I will continue to believe in them until they no longer produce the outcome I expect. Each to their own.