"It's hard to make a pair heads up" saying

Obviously when you're heads up a pair is much stronger than in a multiway pot, but does this apply to a 6 max or 9 handed table.

For instance, people say a pair is hard to make heads up, but does this just apply to a heads up table, ie 1v1 with just 2 players, or also when 2 players see a flop together on a table of 4 other players etc;?

It would make sense correct since in both situations only 2 players are seeing the flop, do I have this right?

So your pair will be just as strong heads up in whatever situation regardless as to whether you're at a 6 max table or 1v1 table?

GreatLeslie said:

Obviously when you're heads up a pair is much stronger than in a multiway pot, but does this apply to a 6 max or 9 handed table.

For instance, people say a pair is hard to make heads up, but does this just apply to a heads up table, ie 1v1 with just 2 players, or also when 2 players see a flop together on a table of 4 other players etc;?

It would make sense correct since in both situations only 2 players are seeing the flop, do I have this right?

So your pair will be just as strong heads up in whatever situation regardless as to whether you're at a 6 max table or 1v1 table?

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There's a greater chance that someone was dealt a pair. More players, greater chance. I guess drawing to a pair on the flop would be the same for unpaired hands.

In games with more players at the table, people should be being more selective with their starting hands. So presumably we should see more pocket pairs going to the flop. All unpaired hands still have the same chance of pairing up on the flop.

All unpaired hands have the same chance of hitting the flop. They'll hit about 1/3 of the time and miss 2/3 of the time.

Yes, a pair heads-up is very strong, but hand selection is still necessary because of what cards can flop against cards you're holding.

In 67s vs AKs, both have the same 33% chance of pairing of their hole cards on the flop. However, 67s is only flopping a top pair hand ~4% of the time, mid pair ~15% of the time, and bottom pair ~10% of the time. So, 75% of the time, an overcard(s) will be flopping against mid or bottom pair. AKs will hit top pair ~29% of the time and will never be mid or bottom pair. Both hands have the same 67% chance of missing entirely, but A high is winning against 7 high 100% of the time.

It's also a lot harder for a hand like 67s to continue on most flops even when they than it is when AKs misses. On a flop of 6-9-Q is probably getting check-folded by a 67 hand. And even if they bet, get called, it's hard to continue on the turn. However, a hand like AKs has no problem c-betting/calling a bet on this type of flop.

Thanks for the replies guys, it's what I thought then. Yes I was talking about hitting a pair on the flop.

As per the last example of 67s vs AKs heads up, you'd probably be about 65% if you hit a pair on the flop, so in the lead most of the time on the flop, do I have that right? Obviously we're just going off basic math and probability here. So in heads up this pair would be a decent hand as it would be unlikely at this point that villian has made a pair too?

GreatLeslie said:

Thanks for the replies guys, it's what I thought then. Yes I was talking about hitting a pair on the flop.

As per the last example of 67s vs AKs heads up, you'd probably be about 65% if you hit a pair on the flop, so in the lead most of the time on the flop, do I have that right? Obviously we're just going off basic math and probability here. So in heads up this pair would be a decent hand as it would be unlikely at this point that villian has made a pair too?

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If you pair on the board, you're about ~75% to win if opponent is only drawing to a pair with their hand and have no other draws, but it's practically impossible to know that and, depending what's on the flop and your opponents hand range, it could hard to continue on a some flops when an overcard(s) hits. Still, a pair heads-up is very strong and you could take the lead as top or mid pair and re-evaluate depending on what opponent does.