best hands

how come i know before i play with QQ that i will lose, and i always do if a player takes me all the way and doesnt fold.

but...

with K8 and Q8 i always do well, i almost always play it depending on the blinds and any raises.

sounds stupid but cud it just be the fact i do well with Q8 and not with QQ so i play this hand more confident??

any thoughts?

Yeah its probably just the way the cards have been coming. I wouldnt get this problem as I would never play Q 8 but everyone has different hands they like

Q Q is pretty strong pre-flop. Whether you win or lose with this hand....well a lot depends on hwo you play it. With small blinds, plenty of limpers and you check pre-flop, you will probably lose.

pocket cards usually won't improve. most of them will only improve by hitting a set. So you have already have your hand made most likely before the flop. Other players are looking for their hand to make. And slowplaying pocket cards is almost always a mistake because of this unless you can isolate an individual or 2 so you can obtain reads on what they are trying to hit. More than 3 people with a high pocket pair... and you should most likely fold.

Hey Prysm,

I don't know about you, but I always play pocket Kings - I have found them to be undefeatable.

Seriously, I agree with you about slow playing a pocket pair. I have a friend who always swears he can not win with pocket kings - He is getting better though.

Thanks for the heads up on this site.

gee the ladies win for me nearly all the time!! i always play them.

love the queens, not big on Q 8, when I see QQ I play it strong and win way more then not

half the time i play the ladies i'll get beat by a low set. it's always a gamble lol

i agree with prysm. with high pocket pairs, the goal is isolate and dominate. big raises preflop. Slow playing them can be dangerous. q8 is not one of my favorite hands to play, but if you feel comfortable with q8 ill take you on any day with qq.

"Always"? There's no "always" in poker. Just like there's no "never".

That said, QQ is a great starting hand, but it's on the same level as AK. Very vulnerable. Dangerous to go all-in with. Must be carefully played, with keen attention paid to the other wagers. I can't count the times I've folded QQ to a big bet when an overcard Ace or King came out on the flop. And then watched the hand play out to what would have been a losing hand for me if I had stubbornly stayed in the pot. You gotta let it sink in that starting hands are just that...starting hands. There's five common cards still to come. At any given moment, you have to be able to get away from the hand if you don't like the board.

Ask Nick and the others at our table last Sunday. He flopped a Kings over Jacks full house. I flopped the King set with a 10 kicker. He raised my big bet to an all-in. I correctly put him on KJ, but just couldn't bring myself to throw away a set of Kings, even though my gut said he had the nuts. I'm out. Throwing good money after bad is a rookie mistake.

Have a friend who plays 2/4 religiously and seems to hit often lol. I hear what you are saying though, for me it seems as if i get Js or 10s i lose more than i win so i find i play them but not as strong as i should, but I went through a phase where Q9 suited hit for me about everytime so i still have issues throwing that hand away when i should lol

g/l

yea it sounds stupid.


But trust me YOU MUST play those queens or jacks paired. even if you lose alot

You are doing nothing wrong, queens will get beat as often as they win.Just keep on in there, you will reap what has been sown.