Thinker_145
Visionary
Silver Level
By small I only mean 22, 33 and perhaps 44 as well.
See the odds of flopping a set are really not worth wasting a big blind late in a tournament. You are pretty much guaranteed to get all over cards and then you are way too easily bluffed in that spot.
So I see 3 ways of playing this hand late in tournament,
1. I would fold if I am a big stack since I really dont have to get into this hand and take an unnecessary risk. But I wouldnt mind taking on a really small stack heads up.
2. Go all in if I am a short stack and just hope for the best.
3. Limp in or call a small raise and then put the opponent on a range of hands. Remember we are talking really big blinds here so nobody is limping with nothing. If the flop is all under 10 then it is reasonable to assume you have the better hand. But ofcourse this is an immensely risky thing and a pair is barely a favorite over 2 over cards so its not like you are going to have a better hand most of the time.
There was a time when min call was a "must" for me with any pair but with time I have realized that these small pairs really arent that great cards and will mostly make you lose the hand unless you commit to it. Remember a 22 does not dominate any hand unless it involves a deuce and is utterly crushed by an over pair.
I would like to hear other thoughts on this matter.
See the odds of flopping a set are really not worth wasting a big blind late in a tournament. You are pretty much guaranteed to get all over cards and then you are way too easily bluffed in that spot.
So I see 3 ways of playing this hand late in tournament,
1. I would fold if I am a big stack since I really dont have to get into this hand and take an unnecessary risk. But I wouldnt mind taking on a really small stack heads up.
2. Go all in if I am a short stack and just hope for the best.
3. Limp in or call a small raise and then put the opponent on a range of hands. Remember we are talking really big blinds here so nobody is limping with nothing. If the flop is all under 10 then it is reasonable to assume you have the better hand. But ofcourse this is an immensely risky thing and a pair is barely a favorite over 2 over cards so its not like you are going to have a better hand most of the time.
There was a time when min call was a "must" for me with any pair but with time I have realized that these small pairs really arent that great cards and will mostly make you lose the hand unless you commit to it. Remember a 22 does not dominate any hand unless it involves a deuce and is utterly crushed by an over pair.
I would like to hear other thoughts on this matter.