QQ how to play this pair?

Ok this seems like an easy enough question. But I have tried everything I can think of and I just cant seem to win with this hand at all. I have tried the 3xBB bet (or more if I get someone to act before me when I am in late position), I have tried min raising (I hate doing this but I am desperate now) and a couple of times I even limp (very desperate). I dont know what the heck to do with this PP at all. It seems like the flop shows up with a K or A in it or something lower like 842 for example and someone gets trip 4s or something.

Any ideas? No idea why but this doesnt seem to be a problem with the mid pairs and I tried applying the same way I played those sometime. That still doesnt seem to work.

Try over betting the pot maybe like 5x and if you dont get reraised you are ussally going to be ahead. with only 3x people will play a larger range of hands because that is the same raise they are use to playing. so hopefully over betting will keep the weaker hands out. bottom line is online poker has come to the point where most players play 88 just like AA so sometimes all you can do is stick it in their and hope for the best. it is the third best starting hand so can't ask for much more. Good Luck

QQ, I like this hand, but I seem to lose with it more than I win. Ive tried over betting, but people dont seem to care anymore. They raise and reraise with anything. Chinga2 P.S. I lost a game this am with QQ

Get money in preflop. Lots of it.

I've tried that with QQ, problem is people can't seem to lay down AK preflop and invariably will catch that A or K. I've lost so many pots with QQ I almost cringe when I look down & see it.

If by invariably, you mean about 30% of the time (on the flop), then yes, you're absolutely right.

Yeah, I guess invariably was the wrong choice of words. For curiositys sake I just looked up QQ in my tracker starting hands listing & I guess I do win with it a lot more than I lose. Just seem to remember the losses because they're generally fairly large.

AK vs QQ

According to this poker calculator I'm looking at, the odds preflop are:

AKs Win: 46.02% Tie: 0.39% QQ Win: 53.59% Tie: 0.39%

AK Win: 42.66% Tie: 0.34% QQ Win: 56.99% Tie: 0.34%

I usually bet it big preflop and try to get 1 on 1 or 2 at most. Then as long as A or K doesnt flop another big bet ,,,, pretty standard play. The danger comes when not being willing to lay it down if A or K shows on the flop ot a st8 or flush cards. Like they say you cant loose what u don't put in ; ) .... then again you could always catch a queen on the river : o

QQ is like any other hand in poker - what you do with it???

It will depend on your opponents, action before u and your position.

I feel with QQ u either limp and throw away after the flop if an ace or a king hits and there is action. Or raise around 5 times the big blind.

So for me I`m happy either seeing a cheap flop or taking down the money preflop.

I can't imagine a situation where i would limp with qq preflop unless in knew somebody would raise me (in which case i would re-raise)

Here's a hand from last night during a micro ring game at Stars. Both callers had been playing really loose, danne3344's VPIP was about 60% & bigdog1207's was around 80%. Danne3344 had a better hand than I gave him credit for, but didn't catch his A or 2nd J so the ladies held up & I took down a huge pot for a micro game.

PokerStars Game #19135108490: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2008/07/27 - 04:30:33 (ET)
Table 'Euphemia' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: bigdog1207 ($7.68 in chips)
Seat 2: TTerminator3 ($2.47 in chips)
Seat 3: mali shurda ($4.94 in chips)
Seat 4: donkbet87 ($1.05 in chips)
Seat 5: Fantaasy ($2.19 in chips)
Seat 6: RonfRonf ($1.86 in chips)
Seat 7: danne3344 ($4.15 in chips)
Seat 8: mparker876 ($2.10 in chips)
Seat 9: jo1joss ($5.39 in chips)
jo1joss: posts small blind $0.01
bigdog1207: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to mparker876 [Qc Qd]
TTerminator3: folds
mali shurda has timed out
mali shurda: folds
mali shurda is sitting out
donkbet87: folds
Fantaasy: folds
RonfRonf: folds
danne3344: raises $0.10 to $0.12
mparker876: raises $0.32 to $0.44
jo1joss: folds
bigdog1207: calls $0.42
danne3344: calls $0.32
*** FLOP *** [3d 8d Jh]
bigdog1207: checks
danne3344: checks
mparker876: bets $1.66 and is all-in
bigdog1207: folds
danne3344: calls $1.66
*** TURN *** [3d 8d Jh] 6♣
*** RIVER *** [3d 8d Jh 6c] 4♠
*** SHOW DOWN ***
danne3344: shows [Ah Jc] (a pair of Jacks)
mparker876: shows [Qc Qd] (a pair of Queens)
mparker876 collected $4.45 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $4.65 | Rake $0.20
Board [3d 8d Jh 6c 4s]
Seat 1: bigdog1207 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: TTerminator3 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: mali shurda folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: donkbet87 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Fantaasy folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: RonfRonf folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: danne3344 showed [Ah Jc] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 8: mparker876 (button) showed [Qc Qd] and won ($4.45) with a pair of Queens
Seat 9: jo1joss (small blind) folded before Flop

See when I get that kind of flop the usually end up getting trip 3s

man pockett queens huh well ,
theres only one way to play'em all in.
thats my motto.

I usually hate getting pp's of QQ or higher. I tend to lose those hands especially with pp AA. I think I will try the 5x or higher bet to see if I can't start winning some of these hands. Thanks for the advice.

I think you are just having bad luck. Certain hands come in cycles, both winning and loosing. The key is to not let it affect you negatively. You can't win every hand but you can try. Keep raising pre flop and be willing to fold if you get a bad flop. Keep your head up your winning cycle is just around the corner!

I try and get as many chips in with a player or 2 and play the flop carefully but not scared if an over card hits.

I think you guys are doing it wrong:

The ladies are a strong starting hand. If you are talking ring games here you want to try to get as much money as you can in PF. Next, depending on what the flop is, should decide your bets. Since you are getting callers on your large bets, you know,(most times), that hands calling you will be good hands. A,K, fall on the board, as hard as it is, you have to lay the ladies down. If any thing else comes in play then go to town, keeping in mind how your opponent plays back at you.

speaking of ladies - nice pair bubba!!

I won't fold QQ on a flop with a king on it. I'm more worried about an ace on the flop and if someone raises my contbet with that ace up there I get apprehensive about going forward with the hand. I need either a backdoor straight draw or flush draw to stick with it if they raise me on the flop.

Q-Q, 3 to 5 X BB inital raise or re-raise to one or two limpers. Hope to see another Q on flop, if not, must bet out to see where you stand if A or K appears.

I think this about sums it up.

If u raise with QQ on flop with Ace or King and u are hit with a reraise - u fold.

A call will probably mean a Ace or King with poor kicker, a flat call means they are on a draw - all `in general`.

In this situation, however, position means everything.

I always raise 3XBB no matter what hand I have and with QQ if an A or K hit I go with my reads on how the other players in the hand have played those hands in the past. If the flop shows a st. or Flush draws I bet out around 3/4 to full pot size to discourage draws and go from there. The reason I 3XBB is because it helps not reveal a large hand from draws and if I raise more than that and someone does pair the A or K then I have risked more than needed to accomplish the same result. In my experience in the lower limits if you did raise say 5 or more XBB and another player has AK, or AQ they are calling anyway so why risk more than needed to receive the same info. If I have a raise ahead of me and I am in a late position I will usually re raise and go with my reads from, that point.

Well I got beat again with this pair. QQ vs A6 offsuit. Like I said, it seems like I never win with this hand

Fold PF.

No seriously, wtf. Whats with everyone saying 'Ugh, im always losing with QQ' and 'I hate all high PPs, esp AA i lose most on it'. If your losing money on these hands your doing something seriousl wrong and i dont think a couple suckouts are the biggest leak in your game. Comon guys, its really not hard to play these hands, just play them as they are.. STRONG! Yes sure, sometimes your QQ will go against A2o and lose, and youll bitch and complain, but the next 8 times that happens you'll win...

IT ALL DEPENDS. Read SUPER SYSTEM II, Doyle wrote a good section on QQ specifically. The most important thing is to sometimes realize you're beat and just let it go.

QQ is one of my least favorite hands to go all in pre flop with. You are almost always pitted against 1 if not 2 overcards. You are still the favorite, but you really have to pick your spots with QQ. On the bubble in a tourny, don't risk everything unless you are short stacked.

AJ: My point is I tried playing them strong and it seems like I lose all the time with them. Right now it is my least favorite pair as its really the only pair I have major troubloe with. This is why I was asking for suggestions on how to play it in the first place

Bronx3: Since I got a couple of books Theory and Practice from Sklansky (is it me or is reading this book like trying to figure out a trig problem?) and Super System the original first to read I will read those first. But it is good to know that SS2 has a section on QQ. Maybe I just need to tinker with it. I dont know but thanks for the suggestions

seems to me, just by this little bit of info, you either go all-in preflop or you just can't seem to let it go and take it to showdown when there is an ace on board or by not giving your villian credit for a hand.
just my opinion and I could be completely wrong here.

That particular hand was an AI preflop situation as I was a SS at the red mzone at the time.

I tried something a little different when I had QQ. I overbet PF like a good 7 to 8 times BB and everybody folded everytime. Still trying to figure out how to play it but at least on this day it work. Kind of weird because I got JJ, KK, and AA a couple of times and did the standard 3xBB. Who knows.

i think you are underestimating power of queens. at episode 1 of wsop 2007, there is a scene of laying down winning queens. my opinion is raise enough to allow only aq,ak or pairs to game so if no A or K shows up, continue collecting chips. but raising is must, never let 89, 9T... to be in

Doesn't seem you have trouble with QQ as you have more trouble accumulating a stack with which other players can fear your raises with QQ, you will lose alot of races with QQ if your on the SS as the larger stacks will not respect your raises because they may have you outchipped 3-1 or more and will call you with any ace, IMO.

Look closer, KK has won more times, it's just that QQ has won billy more money.

thats true shine. I have a hard time accumulating stacks in tournaments. On the rare instances that I do accumulate a decent stack, I always makes a mistake to send me down to the bottom again. I am always hovering just below the average most of the time at best.

pau, can you at least be realistic. I have my fair share of problems with jacks as well but they arent nearly as big as QQ. But maybe shine has a point. Apart of the reason may be the SS that I am at. Honestly I dont know.

I think that everyone knows the feeling of I HATE THIS HAND!Whether it's AK pocket Jacks or in your case QQ.We all get in a rut where it seems no matter what we do we feel this hand is going downhill from the start.But if you really think about it I'm sure you can remember when QQ was your money hand and you just couldn't lose with it.What I'm saying is it happens to everyone and you just need to keep playing your game and let the numbers take care of the rest.