playing 2 2

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lets kick it

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first hand in a tournament, early position raised to 150.

i`m in late position with 2 2. should i play it? can any good come?
 
tenbob

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Question is way too vague. It depends on the blind levels/stack sizes.
 
andosalado

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When you play a hand like 22 you are in need of making trips when the flop cames, the chances of this happening are 8 to 1 against. So to play this hand in a profitable way you need very good pot odds. The ideal scenario for this types of hands is when you are on the button and many people just limped into the pot, in this case you have yo invest few chips to win an already big pot.

In the early stages of a tournament and facing a raise i'll just fold this hand.
 
shinedown.45

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The simple answer is to fold.
22 can easily be counterfeited and should only be called in LP when limped or folded around to.
 
Stu_Ungar

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When you play a hand like 22 you are in need of making trips when the flop cames, the chances of this happening are 8 to 1 against. So to play this hand in a profitable way you need very good pot odds. The ideal scenario for this types of hands is when you are on the button and many people just limped into the pot, in this case you have yo invest few chips to win an already big pot.

In the early stages of a tournament and facing a raise i'll just fold this hand.

pot odds arnt the issue here.. its implied odds.

The pot odds will never give you the 8:1 needed to call

BUT implied odds may be 10:1 or even higher in this situation (especially against an early raiser)

you have to believe that you will earn 10:1 if you hit a set (if not then its not worth a call)

but if you can put the guy firmly on say AA, KK, AK and know that he will bet out big (preferably all in) then see the flop because if you hit the set and the odds ofthat are around 8:1 then a 10:1 payout makes it worth a call.

Calculating implied odds isnt easy though.. most will take the shortest chip stack in the situation (either yours or his) then divide that by the bet.

BUT as I said before, you have to be confident that he will push if he hits otherwise its not worth it.
 
andosalado

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I know, when i said pot odds i was refering to expressed and implied odds. In this case it's imposible to know that you're opponent is going to put all his chips in the pot (more likely that this is not going to happen) and the only way you get 10:1 implied odds is if you know that you can take all his chips.
 
SusieP

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you want a lot of people limping into the pot with you 22 for it to be profitable if you flop trips. If you have the odds, like if the blinds are 15-30 and 5 people are in the pot already all with full stacks, limp, but almost never call a raise with it unless they are raising every hand, then you may wanna take a coinflip especially if you stack is low.
 
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thecondiment

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I would only call in that situation if there were already two more callers before me.
 
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thetrimguy

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the answer is very simple FOLD i have always said that in the beginning of tournaments it is very crucial to choose your hands wisely and almost evry time your 2's will fall short i would say nothing short of limping would be acceptable
 
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sketchpad

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go with your gut...sure its not great odds of hitting a set but its great implied odds if you do.
 
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grunta0

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Quick answer.... NO ! Fold !

Long answer.
The only time you are likely to have the implied odds to call a raise, in a MTT, with low pockets, is at the beginning of a tourney where the stacks are deep compared to the blinds.
Unfortunately at this stage you have no information on your opponent. You don't know his range and you don't know if he will call if you do hit your set so, you do not have the 7.5/1 implied odds required.

Fold !
 
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Wilko89911

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Its the FIRST HAND of the MTT therefore following basic strategy you should play tight in the opening stages. And the pot has been raised to what I presume is 7.5xBB. Its a pretty simple answer really FOLD!!!!!. Its perfectly acceptable to play this hand in a different situation ie later stages of a MTT limping or calling from SB. And some of my biggest pots in ring games have been from playing small pocket pairs and hitting a set.
 
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DannyG

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I very rarely play 2 2, especially at the early stages of a tournament. It's acceptable to see a flop with it though, but only if you're either in good position or have the pot odds to call.
 
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belalugossy

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When you play a hand like 22 you are in need of making trips when the flop cames...yepyep
 
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grunta0

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I tend to play 2 2 way to much and 90% of the time it ends up biting me in the rear end...

You must be unlucky like me !

It should only bight you in the rear 88% of the time. :D
 
phoebepussy

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If the early position raiser is the only player in the pot then the general rule is to fold

The typical early round blind structures on line may mean that it is just about possiblle to get implied odds if you are confident your opponent will follow up with an all in bet regardless of flop texture (pretty unlikely to happen on all flops even AA may fold to a KKx or single suit flop) also your opponent may bet 2/3rds pot and have the ability to get away from his hand

You also need to consider the times you will have to throw the hand away to a reraise from later position or the blinds

22 is a good hand to get in cheap with if you can throw it away if you blank and cam be a powerful hand for shoving late in a tourney when you need a double up.

Assuming a 150 raise is off a 1500 starting stack with a 20 bb I would think 22 is just about priced out even if you have the experience to play it well
 
RichKo

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Assuming stacks are all 1500 and blinds are 5/10 or 10/20, I'd say if you can get by with a limp or calling a min raise, might as well see the flop, just make sure to fold if you don't improve.
 
phoebepussy

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OP says there is already a raise to 150 from EP

you cannot limp and you are not facing a min raise
 
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pinaq

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An important factor to consider here is the implied odds. You will have about 12 % chance of hitting a set on the flop. If the 150 chips required to call is less than 12 % of the raiser's stack you might call. But you still have to consider the chance of your opponent/opponents getting a straight/flush draw on the flop and also the risk of facing a higher set. If you are deep stacked you may call and try to hit the set with which you will check-raise, and otherwise check-fold.
 
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teksmith

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Fold. You have to hit a set to have a chance and its not worth paying so much for so little return. Should only play 22 in LP against a lot of limpers, which will give you a better chance to get paid off if you do hit them.
 
PokerVic

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Just to make this question more complicated, let's not forget that the early stages of tournaments are full of fish. You want to get a piece of their stack before someone else sends them packing. The implied odds can therefore be much higher in the first couple levels due to the presence of players who will call off their entire stack with AK unimproved. A lot of these players won't be around when the blinds get higher. Add to that the relatively deep stacks in the early blind levels, and playing 22 can be quite profitable.

That being said, early going, I'm playing 22 for set value and nothing else. And you have to be extra-careful when there are potential raisers left to act behind you.
 
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