2 to 10 rule

T

tcummo

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hi all,
i was reading an article on pokerstars poker school
about something called the 2 to 10 rule dealing with
pocket pairs from 2 2 to 10 10.
it said something like, you can call with the same %
of your stack
ie.
22 you can call with 2% of stack.
55 = 5% of stack.
88 = 8% of stack and so on,
up to 10 10 = 10% of stack
then it changes for jj+
i have not heard of this 'rule' before.
i was too tired to read it properly
and now i can't find the article (forgot where it was).
is anyone familiar with this ?
it seemed very interesting, would be gratefull
for any info or discussion on this.
thanks.
:)
 
T

tcummo

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re.2 though 10 rule.

hi
just found the article
i've copied this from pokerstars poker school.
if this is not allowed please delete or move to the learning poker section.
hopefully someone will find it useful

The Rule of 2 through 10:

Here's a rule for beginners that provides guidelines on how much of your stack you should risk either raising, or calling a raise with a pocket pair. When you're dealt
2x.gif
2x.gif
to
Tx.gif
tx.gif
, you should call or raise up to the same percentage of your stack as the size of your pair.
So 2% for
2x.gif
2x.gif
; 3% for
3x.gif
3x.gif
; 4% for
4x.gif
4x.gif
, 5% for
5x.gif
5x.gif
; 6% for
6x.gif
6x.gif
; 7% for
7x.gif
7x.gif
; 8% for
8x.gif
8x.gif
; 9% for
9x.gif
9x.gif
and 10% for
Tx.gif
Tx.gif
.
This gives you precise advice for situations that arise in every game. Bigger pairs, starting with J-J, are different than their smaller cousins. With small pairs you'll usually need to improve to win. Big pairs can often win without improvement, so if you've been raised, you should re-raise or even move all-in. Considerations include your position, your stack size, your opponent's stack size, whether the initial raiser is passive or aggressive, and other bits of information you may have gleaned.
When using the rule of 2 through 10, always open with a standard raise of 4 times the big blind if you have sufficient chips. Otherwise just call the big blind (limp in). For example, with blinds of 15/30 and a stack of 1,400, raise to 120 with
Tx.gif
Tx.gif
, but just call for 30 with
4x.gif
4x.gif
and fold
2x.gif
2x.gif
.
If you limped in with your pocket pair, check and fold after the flop unless you flop a set or an overpair. An overpair is better than flopping top pair, but is still vulnerable. Play it as you would top pair with the top kicker. Don't re-raise with an overpair. If you bet and are raised, just call and re-evaluate your situation on the turn. Hopefully, you've been paying attention to how people play. Do you think he has you beat? What kind of pot odds are you getting? Are you in or out of position? These questions will all affect how you continue to play the hand.

 
Last edited:
F

fugitive67

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flopping trips with a small pair gives you some great implied odds, so if i have enough chips to call a reasonable pre-flop raise without obviously getting pot committed or ending up short stacked, then i have no problem calling with a small pair even when a couple big cards come out ... yes, it is the dreaded hit to win poker that you normally want to avoid ... but when you hit, you win big

plus when you get a flop with smaller cards like maybe an 8 8 3, to me my 2s look pretty good there

you can also win with small pairs when over-pairs miss ... you are not out of line calling a continuation bet with a small pair and if the player with over-pairs slows down on the turn b/c they dont have a hand, then you can usually check it down and take a nice pot without throwing too many chips in

and 10s, well only 4 hands beat that , so unless you put someone on a big pair, then you have to play that hand and in most situations raise with it

your little pairs can get counterfeited, so you do have to factor that in ... i guess you really have to figure on what it might cost you to play the pot

the rule is interesting, but i think most pros probably are far more creative with their small to mid pairs than that chart would indicate
 
Amroth

Amroth

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Since Im a begginer to the game most of the times I call low bets (according to my chip stack) or just limp with low to mid pairs (99-) just to try hitting the set in the flop, or I can go to a cheap turn.

Other times as fugitive said you will get to paired flops and/or low cards which can make you think your hand is the best in that point, so u can get profit from it.

If you are not used to play a lot of flops, that may be a way you can start doing it
 
Shufflin

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Interesting idea. I don't like to vary my raise amount depending on my cards' value, though. Another advantage to raising pp's not mentioned above is how often you can take down the pot when an ace flops. And at least when someone calls you down with their A6o, you can make a note indicating their donkiosity :)
 
G

genleemb

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I never heard of this particular rule. It is pretty close to the guidelines I have heard that you should call or raise with around 5% of your stack with baby pockets. The implied odds of hitting a set are there in most cases. Of course postion, table image and countless other things need to be factored into the equation.
 
WVHillbilly

WVHillbilly

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It's a silly "rule" You don't need to be getting 50-1 implied to make playing 22 profitable and similarly playing TT getting 10-1 can be equally bad.

Also the difference between say 22 and 88 in no way justifies needing 4 times as good of odds to play 22.

Look for implied odds of AT LEAST 15-1 and you'll be fine playing all your small pairs.
 
BIRIYANI

BIRIYANI

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in this ruling,its ok to use,Iv used myself,,,also,as time goes by you will learn of how the others at table play,then you can alter your raises accordingly !
 
Samango

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It's a silly "rule" You don't need to be getting 50-1 implied to make playing 22 profitable and similarly playing TT getting 10-1 can be equally bad.

Also the difference between say 22 and 88 in no way justifies needing 4 times as good of odds to play 22.

Look for implied odds of AT LEAST 15-1 and you'll be fine playing all your small pairs.

+1

and why limp into an unraised pot with a pp, esp if you are in late pos?
seems like a nit play to me
 
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