Playing a Big Pair Early Position

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Running Nose II

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How do you play a big pair from an early position? There are schools of thought on this. Do you simply call to get more players in the pot and at the same time get a possible look at the flop, or do you raise and possibly lose some players. I tend to call and find out what lies behind me.
 
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kozong

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Do you simply call to get more players in the pot and at the same time get a possible look at the flop, or do you raise and possibly lose some players. I tend to call and find out what lies behind me.

3x if 1st to act, 3b on else

*big pair = jj+ or kk+?
 
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Snakester420

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I just raise to balance my range. I might start limping some hands including AA KK and some low pairs maybe but if a bunch of people start limping after I've limped it's easy for my aces to be cracked so I raise to protect.
 
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chronical

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usually a reaise. you dont want bad hands to get in for free and catch something wired like a set from 93o
 
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zawvc1

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i like to go all in you need to play aggressively your good hands.
 
George Lewis

George Lewis

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Depends on how you play other hands and other positions. If you are a "splashy" loose type player that often calls preflop and will even call a raise or reraise just to see a flop then you should almost always simply call and hope to be raised so that you can reraise and go crazy from there. If you are tight aggressive and rarely limp into a pot even in late position but instead you almost always raise then you might as well hang a neon sign on your neck saying "I have AA,KK or AK" when you limp in early. I play more than one style and like o mix it up. If I have been tight and I am only raising when I enter a hand then I raise this hand early too. I still hoped to be raised after as well and will play it fast. If I am limping in with 56 suited, 55, Q10 etc and playing a lot of hands I limp in with AA early as well. Again I pray to have a chance to reraise also. The table may not be allowing limping. If this is the case by all means limp and when some guy tries to punish you for limping nail him. Or the table may be insanely passive and if you limp you will face 7 players post flop without a raise. If that happens you have to raise. The biggest problem will always be that you will out of position once the hand goes to a flop. So if you have a ton of money in or are all in with aces great. If it is limped and you face 7 players the hand is over. Maybe you win a small hand or maybe you quietly fold but forget about the fact you hand a monster. You are now screwed so do not compound the abusive poker version of a sexual assault. The only difficulty arises when you bet 3x the blind and get two callers and are out of position. Proceed cautiously and pay attention. This is where the pros tend to show their skill.
 
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Dan Lucas

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The best piece of advice I read early on about playing big hands was that the more players you have in the pot, the smaller your equity becomes. Use the odds calculator to see what happens to Pocket AA when you are up against 2, 3 or 4 players. and you can give your opponents any hand you want to compare. Unless you want to be really trappy, the best idea is to isolate, so in any hand you are heads-up. A good question to ask yourself: How would I feel if I let 4 9 into the pot because I made the price right, and then got outdrawn and lost a winnable pot? George makes some excellent points as always.
 
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karl coakley

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The WORST thing you can do is limp. I think that is the worst you can do with any hand, let alone a big one.

While you risk losing players, you really don't want a bunch of players. 1 at the most. Big pairs don't play well in a multi-way pot as Dan posted. If I'm early, I may even go 4x to 5x the BB depending on how aggressive the table is because you may get several calls at 3x.

I've found, unless you are at a really aggressive table or in 2nl hands like AA and KK can win small pots or lose big ones (because people can't fold AA/KK).
A pair is still a pair. Sometimes you need to be happy with the blinds and look to the next hand. Always raise big pairs.
 
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braveslice

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There are schools of thought on this.
=) Better not listen play money school of education. If anything else, to have any chance beyond 2NL you need to practice standard play, after you master it, you can vary your style as you please.
Agros will raise you even if you raise, so no need to slow play.

The goal is to get money in good, and not paying for ragged two pairs.

I think more interesting question is, that when you raise and get reraised by agro, should you just call?
 
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BentleyBoy

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The answer to this question may seem very straight forward and the real danger is accepting just one answer. The typical answer is to raise and re-raise... but with this knowledge you really need to start thinking more about the game as a whole rather than simply what cards you are dealt as the answer may change and vary depending on the situation in which you find yourself. Don't close yourself down to one answer...have a range of answers that adapt with your game.

Good luck

BB
 
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braveslice

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"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying."
Friedrich Nietzsche
 
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AdmiralKoch

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It really depends on the opponents, if I sense that they are too loose for my taste I'm usually careful not to fall into an "all-in" trap because I don't like playing russian roulette, even with an AA, so I raise, but not much. Otherwise I may play a more loose game.
 
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redmast

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It all depends on my stack. If I have a big stack you can make a raise by 2-3 times. If little is likely to allin. With an average raises in 3-4 times and flop raise or allin to protect the bank.
 
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braveslice

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AdmiralKoch, the most non russian roulette in cash game poker, is when you get it in with AA. There is no better hand, and you do it 80%+ favorite. If that is too little for you I can assure standard poker is not for you.
 
amilcarjt89

amilcarjt89

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raise preflop my advice

you must start with a good raise preflop so you do not levarras a surprise to win with an average hand you have to enforce the strength of your hand to play a little aggressive and safe
 
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Allmine79

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How do you play a big pair from an early position? There are schools of thought on this. Do you simply call to get more players in the pot and at the same time get a possible look at the flop, or do you raise and possibly lose some players. I tend to call and find out what lies behind me.

I like to lead in with 3x and welcome the re-raise. If they come in over the top and I have AA or KK Im slamming them hard.
 
antonis32123

antonis32123

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Always raise 3x-4x , I found that limping can cost you , make them pay you to see the flop , I only limp/might limp JJ , I don't like this hand at all .
 
apeedgovi

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Too many aces have been cracked by trash for me to play them slowly, so I definitely raise big pair (QQ+) pre-flop. And still be careful, it is amazing what some people consider a good hole cards. :D
 
LLIypuk

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I believe that you need to raise, because a large number of opponents after the flop increases the probability of loss.
 
fletchdad

fletchdad

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So many answers, and many very valid points. I have not read every post intricately, so if this has already been said, well, then I guess it is worth repeating.

Limping is really only good when you have a reason to do it. And if you are not sure what to do, and you limp, you did it WITHOUT a reason. That will always mean you are playing without thinking or having a plan. That is always an obvious indication that you are not playing your best.

There is mostly not one correct plan of action to take in a hand. As mentioned, if you know you will get more callers, and then be raised by a LP or Blinds player, a limp is a plan. If the plan doesent work, oh well.

It also depends on the stakes you play, and the history you have with your opponents. But, a rule of thumb, in EP, if you want to play a hand, raise. Limping and getting a lot of callers is the WORST thing that can happen with a big pair. Read post #7.
 
TheMagic

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I don´t like to call in early position, and for sure, it isn´t profitable when you are playing to fix your leaks and improve your BR. In early positions, you should do a bigger raise, avoiding Calling Stations and other Donkey Players. I would recommend 3.5x - 4x.
 
dewittbukator

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Depends on your stack

Years ago as a beginner I would always limp in and think I was so clever, I was going to slow play these jacks or slow play my kings and I would fool everyone. Pretty soon the joke was on me, because I would allow others the opportunity to hit straights, and flushes and sets even if I had best hand pre flop. So I quickly learned to raise with a good hand almost every time.

There's a few times when I'm hesitant however. If I'm the short stack of a tourney and I get kk or aa I'll just shove all in. But I find that if I'm short stack and have 99, i usually end up going back to my old ways and limping in hoping I hit a set. I'll be honest I don't know if that's the right choice, but for me I'd rather wait when I'm short stack to be sure vs busting out.

Curious what other people do in these situations.
 
sandund

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In online poker, I never want to many players before flop, and again, if flop is perfect, I want them all. :D
 
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bmac927

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Never just call...gotta raise 3-5 times the big blind and take it from there...
 
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