hey i am wondering about low pocket pairs

i have my own ideas on pocket pairs but i would like to think what do other people think becuase i always see people shove 4's 5's and 6's against any hand in my own mind i know when i am going all in with a low pocket pair i always think i am 50% at best so i only do it when i am desperate because i think if anyone has a overpair i am crushed and the odds of them having a lower card is bad but i am wondering what everyone else thinks when they see a low pocket pair

it deppend how big my stack, usually I like to limp a low pair and hope to hit the set on flop, its usually brings a lot of money ,However if someone raise I usually fold them.

I'm in the same boat as gopnik. I don't think too much about them unless I'm set mining.
If i'm short stacked, and in mid. pos or later, I'll push, but that's basic poker I think.

I think the meatheads that like to push with pp under 10's are just gamblers. My guess is you won't see that too much at high levels.

Small and mid pairs are hands that are commonly overvalued and overplayed.

You should limp with them in early position ONLY if you are on a table with a lot of people who will limp behind you rather than raise. I will usually make a standard raise with them in middle position or later.

Calling all ins is usually not a good idea with low pairs because you are usually only 50% to win at best.

The only time I will shove preflop with a small pocket pair is when I am in a tournament and I have less than 10 BBs left.

Below is a general guideline I have learned when deciding wether or not to call a raise w/ a small pair preflop to determine if it makes mathematical sense. It is a simple way to see if there is a potential positive expectation if you happen to hit a set.

The 5/10 Rule:
- It is a definite call if the raise is 5% or less of your opponents stack AND your stack.
- It is a judgment call if the raise is between 5% and 10% of your opponents stack AND your stack.
- It is a definite fold if the raise is more than 10% of your opponents stack AND/OR your stack. This is of course unless you believe your opponent is bluffing, and there will be time that it's appropriate to bet your entire stack or at least call.

It is important to apply these rules in making sure that you have adequate possibility in getting your hand paid off if you do flop a set, which will be about 12% of the time. For instance, a player that will stack off with Top Pair Top Kicker will be easier to get paid off from than a player who plays more conservative.

I hope this helps.

great post flopit2me, very useful to me also.

personally i fold nearly all pp under 10's unless in late position or heads up.

I'll limp low PP from any position and call raises assuming the stacks are deep enough. The implied odds for PP are through the roof. If I'm in late position I might be inclined to raise depending on who is calling before and how many callers.

The low pocket pair is easy to play. Try to get in cheap. If you miss the flop fold. If you hit, check. In a short handed or tournament situation trying to get into a race, or coin flip is sometimes a good option. The trouble with that is if your opponent has a higher pocket pair you are an 80% underdog and have two "outs" before the flop.

In micro levels you either have maniacs who'll shove'em from anywhere or you'll have calling stations who call any preflop raise and just call you down. It really depends on your opponents how you play small pairs. In early position, I tend to fold them myself.

if you can get in cheap, there great if you get the rite flop, if theres a raise i usually fold low pairs, just last week i was playing and had Pocket 3 3 in the BB,everyone called to me, so i checked, and low and behold the flop came 3 3 7, and i capitolised on them, got a good pot out of the Quad 3`s, but that dont happen to often,, gl,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,buck

Any PP that is lower than 10's I'll usually limp in depending on my position as long as the bet isn't anymore thant 4BB's and what my stack size is...

10's + I usually raise 4BB's get's all the Arags out and a few donks hopefully...

if I have 10BB's or less in SnG/Tournament I'm probably shoving with any PP dependant on how close it is to cash or not.

like people have mentioned with low pp's if you can hit a set especially if an ace appears too, you're usually doubling up or knocking the other guy out...

When short-stacked or on tilt it becomes much more frequent that these hands get shoved PreFlop.

I guess the idea is isolate a flop and flip a coin. A lot of tighter players prefer not to play like this, but my LAG friend would flip a coin for $300 with you, whether that coin is AKs vs 88, or an actual quarter.

And he'd probably do it every time he had $300, too.

buckster436 said:

if you can get in cheap, there great if you get the rite flop, if theres a raise i usually fold low pairs, just last week i was playing and had Pocket 3 3 in the BB,everyone called to me, so i checked, and low and behold the flop came 3 3 7, and i capitolised on them, got a good pot out of the Quad 3`s, but that dont happen to often,, gl,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,buck

Click to expand...

Getting paid with Quads is hard work. But I do love when a draw is out there, and it's an obvious draw. Because then you can price them in, if you know they're playing by the math. Bet out so they're mathmatically getting their money in good. Bet again when they get made/miss on the turn. Then if you suspect they've missed, but still have two pair . . . then bet out like you're on a busted draw yourself, or if you think the actions done, check and let them hang themselves. So much the fun.

Of course, getting action is a killer.

I limp in if I can or call small raises. If some one l pushs all in it depends on how they play if I call. If I have seen them pushing with A rag or suited connector I will call. Tight players who push on premuim hands I will fold . If the flop is checked around to me I make a pot sized bet, as long as there are not players that will call large bets to the river with high card or chaseing. Base the way you play it with the people your playing

With small pairs I don't play aggresive ( I think here I'm mistakin because I'm not raising much ) Just call.And if I hit the set on the flop.WoohooStart of course to play aggresive !

with low pocket pair I would just call a small bet, when the flop comes if you hit your set , slow play them but if you miss and someone bets and the flop showes card higher then your then your best bet is to fold them

Only thing I have to add is this: call short stacks (10-15 percent of your stack) with pocket pairs, low or not. If they have AKo or some other combination of face cards that isn't a pair, you're ahead. If you call them with 33 and they have aces, you have a 20 percent chance to suckout on them, plus its more likely when they're short stacked that they'll be pushing with AKo rather than aces.

tourneys - wont play em at all until field has thinned out or until after the 1st break where i start to open up

FR - mostly limp, position dependant tho, ill call a raise and a 3 bet with em set mining. and check/fold if i miss.

6 Max - im raising pockets from all positions, normally c/betting flop ect...

When i have low pocket pairs, i would love to see the flop at some cost but big raise i will fold. I will look for the flop to hit set and if not i will play slow..!

Generally speaking you're wanting 15:1 on effective stack sizes to be getting decent implied odds to set mine (this is always situational... ie. if you're on a very aggressive table that is 3-betting often... calling off an EP raise in MP with low pp might just be chip spewing).

OP when you figure you're only ~50% to win with them.... I think often players will figure in many cases that there'll also be some fold equity,... increasing your EV.

Response to the HOH quotes.. 5/10 rule... and only getting it in with low pp when on 10bb or less..... What about when you're sitting on a re-steal stack in LP (~12-20bb, 14-22< depending upon structure)....you're not shoving over top of a steal while OTB or in SB, etc.??