Best way to play low pocket pair

J

j0na1234

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On freerolls I see a lot of high stacked people just go allin with low pocket pair. They are just happy to pick the few 3 or 4 (or maybe a little more if someone raised before him) big blinds.
I don't get this tactic. I once saw a high stacker do this with 44: I raised 3 big blinds, some guy called, THEN he reraised allin (7-8 big blinds in pot). He goes allin (he has 100 Big blinds).

What do you think of this play and how would you play low pocket pair (in early stage of tournament, middle and late stage)


and btw: i had QQ (45 BB's) and called, he hit his set and it was byebye freeroll for me.
 
Poof

Poof

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I would only suggest shoving it if I was the lowstack. I will limp to see the flop if I can but if there is a raise I always fold them. I could be playing them wrong too, lol
I have tried calling with them but almost always end up dominated.
 
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jyow

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the key thing here is that the tournament you were in was a freeroll. basically, the big stack is shoving so that he can go heads up with someone and have a 50-50 chance of knocking him out and padding his stack. it happens way more often in freerolls because blinds tend to increase quicker and people sort of have nothing to lose in the sense they havent invested any money to play in the tournament.
 
fluideng

fluideng

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Small PP should be played as cheap as possible. If you hit the flop. you get paid 10 fold, and if you dont hit you fold. Never go all in with them in freerolls because you will always be called with two overcards. :)
 
norbs286

norbs286

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Early or mid stages in a tournament, if I get a low pocket pair I raise pot pre-flop, if someone all ins, I wait to see how many people call (if I can), if he\she has 2 callers or more I FOLD - As if EVERY calling player has two live cards (i.e. cards that are higher than my pocket pair) they have decent chances hitting something as a group against my low pocket pair - The odds are against me. If there is one caller or less I'll joint the fest and pray :)
 
GordonStr222

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Thats why you have to pay attention to the big and short stacks......... If a player has a big stack he's almost going to shove with anything....... you should know not to ever lay down queens against him.... there are just bullying every pot unless they are playing solid..........
 
buckster436

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its best to get in with low pocket pairs cheap as possible, if the raise is to big in front of you fold them,, if your short stacked, shove with any pocket pair or any Ace,,, thats my take on how to play them, buck:)
another good hand to shove with if your S Stacked is 7 8,, lots of outs,,
 
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itzjickie

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I play my low pockets according to position unless I can limp in with them, if I can do that I will limp just to see the flop.
 
Babynut

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With small pocket pair I like to see a cheap flop. If you don't hit it you can get out of the way without losing to many chip.
 
califantasy

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I agree with most of the others. The best thing you can do with a small PP is set-mining. Its a pretty good method in cash games, but in a freeroll, you are bound to see some pretty attrocious play.
 
ActAsIf

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This is how I approach small/middle pairs up to 77:
In early position you are basically semi-bluffing raising with a small pocket pair; you have to fold to a big raise.
A good sized raise from middle position may get a call from late position with a big drawing hand [e.g. K,J(s) ]. You can bet 3/4 pot to represent an overpair if a low/orphan flop comes out.
A big raise from late position may get a fold from middle position limpers. Otherwise you can just limp and hope to hit a set.
Limp if it looks like someone is strong ahead of you and they'll play back (re-raise) if you raise them. I only limp if there is no other way to win the pot pre-flop.

P.S. if you play against me, be prepared for me to throw this out the window if I think you know how I'm playing.
 
DKnight10

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Probably just because he has nothing to lose since its free roll, assuming since he is the big stack that someone wont want to risk all in with their hand. And if he does get called it will be a coin flip alot of the time to increase their stack or take a small hit...
 
ActAsIf

ActAsIf

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I never qualified this strategy as "free -roll only". This is how I would approach a small/medium pair with enough chips so as not to endanger my chip stack. Obviously I have to have a comfortable stack relative to the blinds (30 ~ 40 big blinds) to be able to play this way. Sure, I'm making a creative play to confuse my opponents if I hit the flop big, because they not going to put me on a small pair. They will probably think I totally wiffed the flop.

The only problem is when on orphan flop comes with only one overcard to my pair, there is only one pre-flop caller in early position, he checks the flop, I make a pot sized bet to pick it up, he calls and then puts me in on the turn because he was slowplaying pocket KK. Pocket KK can really put a dent in my stack in this situation.
 
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8wondra8

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The best thing to do with small pocket pairs is to have position. There are so many different circumstances in playing these small pocket pairs. If you have a late position and there are a couple callers just call if you hit you will probably win big, and you if you don't you lose little. If there are no raisers and its early in a tournament just fold it because its not worth it. If its late and there are antes steal it late. I don't usually call in early position with small pocket pairs unless its early in a tournament, and I'm looking to accumulate chips.
 
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lukester22

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It is a crappy play but it is a freeroll. Those kind of plays will happen tons in a freeroll. You should always try to see a flop with small pairs cheaply or sometimes just fold them.
 
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huhwahhappen

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In late stage, big stack, its a good idea to try to steal the blinds. If they get reraised, and its not much more to call, they'll obviously do it to try to knock you out.
 
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Kashtree

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I play according to my position as well as the preflop tendencies at the table. If I'm early with a small pp and someone behind me has the tendency to raise with weak hands when limped or folded to I will raise 2-3x the bb(depending on stack sizes and amount of the blind). I know that it is said you should see the flop cheaply, but I feel the raise has disguised my hand strength giving me the option of a bluff on the flop. I've had good results with this. Many times that loose raiser will call hoping to hit the flop. Often even without hitting my set on the flop a pot sized bet will get them to fold.

This all changes if I'm playing at a tight/agressive table. If early I will limp or min raise, again, hoping to show a bit of strength. If late and limped or folded to I raise, hopefully taking down the blinds or getting someone heads up on the flop. Hopefully I hit or can outplay them.

All that said.. these tactics seem to work best when I've been able to maintain a fairly tight/aggressive table image. If I'm seen as being a maniac these tactics will usualy land me in trouble.
 
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PC69

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Easy to play little pp. Throw it into the muck like i do.. I never hit the set so i dont even try nemore
 
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Concon

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Only go all in ir you are low stack... I think this guy played it wrong.

If someone raises before me and I have a low pair I just call it, theres no need to risk my chips like that.

And if nobody raises, I like to raise so people with high cards go in. If the flop is good for me with numbers, thats were I raise my chipstack.
 
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andosalado

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Last night i was playing a tourney on full tilt and i get queens, i was about half the way to finish the tournament, i make a standar raise of x4 bb and one someone behind me raises me all his chips, i went all in knowing that i was an underdog in the hand and my rival shows 44, i jump out of my chair of joy....the flop came 39J....the river 4....turn....i don't remember...but wasn't a queen. I was kicked out of the tounament a few hands later.
 
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railslave

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with low pocket pair on a all in call , i usually end up getting busted on the river:(
 
Sardonix

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I limp in always with low pocket pp from any possition. if the pot gets raised i will call if its 5x or less in a freeroll but anything more than that is a little out of hand. i wanna see a cheap flop but sometimes its good calling a medium raise with say a pair of 77 because if the board comes 2-5-6 then you hold the overpair and most the time when its a medium raise in a freeroll your up against like a K-Js or something like it. with that being said what if the flop comes K-7-5 then that same K-Js is gonna wanna see the rest of his board and you have a set so if he hits another king or he hits a jack your gonna smash him for his whole stack almost 90% of the time. so my strategy is limp call a small to medium raise hoping for a set or a small overpair but even with the small overpair its dangerous so i really wanna set or im just gonna fold em if i miss.
 
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pokerb1tch69

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If I have low pockets on my bb then I play them at least to see the flop. Depending on what the next card is and what others bet I decide to hold or fold. If I am low stack and the low pairs is the best I've seen in a few hands then I may push all in. But generally low pairs are the fold em pairs. I may even call on low pairs if the tourney is just starting just to see the flop. But yea I just don't see shoving 3k in on say pocket 3s or 4s I just don't see it.
 
sportznut55

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I think the key is that you are letting this guy/gal dictate your play. If you have a great hand like qq and someone goes all in, assume AA or KK, not 44. If you have KK or AA, go all in....otherwise...look for a spot where you can win after the flop. If they won't let you see the flop, then fold. In a free roll, you can choose survival OR you can gamble with any two cards. Either way, it's YOUR choice. Don't make it, then regret it. Make the choice you will be happy with.
 
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chrismonk123

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im all for just flat calling the bb with low pockets! just to see the flop and how other people are betting into the pot! really all depends on whos playing, where you are (early/late position) and the aggresiveness of the players around the table!
 
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