do you call raises with small pairs?

I know I have a similar thread on suited connectors but I wanted a new one for small pairs. I am talking mainly about these small pairs , 7,6,5 and even the smallest pairs. The table I am at has a mix of tight and loose players with mostly big stacks. So lets say you are in late position and you have a raiser and a caller in fron of you , do you call or how many more players you need to be in the pot? I doubt that anyone here would make that call with only the raiser in front of him ,maybe only with 77.

So we know that most of the time we have to fold these when someone bets strong but we are looking to hit a set which I believe it's like 1/7 times. So what do you guys say?

I feel I'll hit a set I would call hoping to hit a set and if I think he has a big pair I'll fold preflop.

Usually no. If I do, it's OB. I'm more likely to reraise if I have position and if the opponent is a sheep, but 9 out of 10 times I toss them.

Usually, I raise in late position. I do call with them (depending on big the raise) if I'm from early to middle position.

mix it up 50% raise 50% call

Are you guys saying that you raise if there's no raise in front of you or that you reraise the raiser with them? It would not make sense to reraise with these unless like one guy said , he is a sheep. I would like to get a better idea as to how many callers do you need to make the call profitable ,because most times you have to throw away that small pair. You guys don't call a raise with pocket 5s, do you ?

Another "depends" question.

Small pairs often pay off BIG. So I like to play them... how I play them is dependant on what game I'm in, position, opponents, stack sizes and such., But I will rarely fold them... I'm looking to hit the flop and rake in a huge pot.

If I can afford the raise, I am going to call .. if I don't hit the flop I'll check it down and fold to any bet.

I will fold these when I'm in a tournament or ring game when someone raises, someone else re-raises and it becomes too risky to my bankroll/tournament life.

If things are going well for me and I am ahead of the game, either tournament or ring game I often do the raising or re-raising myself, especially if I have been getting great reads on my opponents. If you have these in position, it's a great raise/re-raise situation where post flop action checks to you, a continuation bet whether you hit or not will get others to fold, if they call then you have at least a minimum cahnce of drawing out. If you hit and are challenged you're going to win big unless someone flops a higher set or straight. Reads on your opponents are essential to this though ... so do be careful.

It depends.

I'skind of a situational thing, based on position, size of raise/re infront of you, what kind of read you have on the other player(s). If you can get in preflop at an amount you're cxomfy with, go for it. A small set is a mighty hand if you hit it. Against LAG players, I've been known to call pretty large raises with hands as measly as 2-2.

Well it could depend on stack size, blinds, etc., but 5's I'll play probably 30-40% of the time if someone re-raises only if I feel lucky.

Yeah, it is situational. You will play these in different ways based on table conditions and stacks and your read on the raiser/caller. In general, if there is a raise in front of you and noone has called, that is the worst case scenario for playing those. The ideal is when you have 3 or 4 limpers in front of you and you can enter cheap.

Looking at the example you made with a raiser and caller in front of you and you're in LP, I would fold anything like 55 and below and call with 7s and 6s only a certain percentage of times. The amount of that percentage is linked to table conditions, also if its a tourney it would depend on size of my stack, in certain situations I might go all-in even if there is a raiser and caller.

As for the question how many players need to be in the pot, if you can get in cheap I think 3 are enough (I may be wrong though) especially if they have nice stacks which give you great implied odds. In that situation, particularly if its cheap, I'll call every time even with 22 and regardless of table conditions. One time in a tourney very 1st hand I did just that with 22 (I forgot how many were in the pot), hit a set on the flop and knocked out an unlucky player who made 2 pair on the river.

Generally, if the raise is a small one (2x the BB) then I will just call, anything more than that then I fold. You want to see the flop and fold if you don't hit the set. Remember a small pocket pair is gonna get beat by a bigger one, the only thing your looking for is the set.

Early position you want to raise to get any limpers off the hand. Middle position you either raise or just call. (FT show on ESPN)

If you have been raised upto x3bb you call cause then people play with AQ AK AJ. If the flop has no AKQJ10 you bet x3bb.

And it depends too on what style you are comfortable playing.

The assumption is generally TAG, but a LAG player probably successfully raises or re-raises with small/medium pairs. I say probably because it's not a style that I play so my comment comes from discussions with some good LAG/SLAG players.

It also depends if you can overplay your opponents postflop and if you have a positional advantage on them.

Let's say a decent TAG player raises 3xbb UTG and it is folded to me in the small blind, not a chance I call. But if someone in middle position makes the same raise and two people call before me and I'm on the button, I will reraise if I have anything higher than 66.

But to get back to your example, I would definitely reraise with 77 to better define my hand if I felt that that reraise was just a standard Ace rag buisiness. On a tighter table, insta fold. The smaller pairs (22, 33, 44) also have the advantage of being able to form staights if the flop comes A 3 4, wich can be very, very confusing (and costly) for someone holding A-J or A-Q. In this light, when I have more players in the pot, I prefer 55 over 66 anytime.

it depends on whether I'm play a tourney or cash game. If I'm playing tourney, I'll toss them in the muck everytime, if there's a raise infront of me.

If it's a cash game, I'll call. The reason being, people overplay TPTK, big pocket pairs. The implied odds are tremendous. Cash game being that blinds do not move up, it's one long session.

Of course, if I don't hit, I'll muck them on the flop. no point sticking around with bottom pocket pair.

I'm no pro but I like to play them in any position for cheap. If you manage to hit a set the payoff can be huge. If you miss then you can easily muck them without losing much. In a late position and no raises or calls I may raise with them. I may be wrong but it is what I do.

IT depends on the game your playing, late stage MTT play should be routine blind steal from lp, muck to raises etc. In a NL ring game, its very dependant on how deep and how nitty the p/f raiser is, and if your in a position to get sqeezed. But in a deep ring game folding is usually the worst play, small pairs are my most profitable hands.

Oh edge, dont be too quick to muck unmissed pairs on the flop. Some flop textures suit playing unhit pairs better than others.

with a good stack facing a modest raise with out a lot of players behind, yeah I call/

tenbob said:

IT depends on the game your playing, late stage MTT play should be routine blind steal from lp, muck to raises etc. In a NL ring game, its very dependant on how deep and how nitty the p/f raiser is, and if your in a position to get sqeezed. But in a deep ring game folding is usually the worst play, small pairs are my most profitable hands.

Oh edge, dont be too quick to muck unmissed pairs on the flop. Some flop textures suit playing unhit pairs better than others.

Click to expand...

agreed, Tenbob. What I am saying was a generalisation. If the flop's 5, 3, 9. I might stick around with my 44 or 22 and even reraise the c-bet, provided I'm heads up or at max 2 players. But I'm out if there's more than a painted card on the flop or turn.

If its relatively small i.e 3x BB early in a tourney and im in late position i will call.

I will either win with a set or win with the pair if the other players show weakness on the flop (thats why i would only call a raise from a late position)