Poker_Mike
Legend
Loyaler
Some players will limp and then call a raise preflop to see a flop and try to get a set.
Other players will play it more strongly by open raising and then continue bet the flop to try to take the pot.
For me it also depends on my chip stack size and whether I am playing a tournament or cash game. Do I "need" to play that hand? Am I desperate for chips?
Often I will fold a small pair preflop UTG.
Good luck !
ventrolloquist
Visionary
Silver Level
Depends on table dynamics. A table full of passive fish, go ahead and call small pairs UTG because nobody will be likely to reraise. A table full of agressive players I would maybe call them from late position if I'm fairly confident nobody will raise behind me. They can go far in multiway pots if you hit a set, they have good implied odds, especially if an opponent draws a high pair. I don't think there is ever any situation where I would raise them preflop unless I'm bluffing, your odds of actually flopping a set aren't very high so raises give you worse odds. Safer to just fold them but still playable. You just have to try and determine if enough chips will enter the pot by the last street for your winnings to outweigh your odds of missing your set. This means multiway pots are the best situation for playing these, heads up pots wont pay enough chips. You can write out a few scenarios on paper (with varying numbers of players in a pot) and how you think somone would typically bet in those situations to see how many chips you end up having to pay vs. what you win. Then compare that to your odds of flopping a set to see if you would win in the long run. And forget about playing them in high stakes games.
Edit: it boils down to the following question: Will the ratio of my (predicted payout) to the (cost of seeing a flop), be higher than my odds of flopping a set.
There are a few situations where this is indeed the case. But usually not UTG unless you're at the most fish of passive tables.
Edit: it boils down to the following question: Will the ratio of my (predicted payout) to the (cost of seeing a flop), be higher than my odds of flopping a set.
There are a few situations where this is indeed the case. But usually not UTG unless you're at the most fish of passive tables.
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Veritas
Rock Star
Silver Level
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fundiver199
Legend
Loyaler
Depend on table size and stack sizes. In cash games and early on in tournaments, you can pretty much always open any pair from any position, if there are 6 or less players at the table. With more than 6 players, it is usually best to simply fold the smallest pairs from the first few seats.
And if stacks get into some kind of intermediate territory like 30BB, where you are to shallow to setmine, but to deep to jam, its also fine to sometimes just fold the smallest pairs, even if you only have a few people left to act after you. It will depend also, how deep are the other players, can someone behind jam on you, etc.
Finally each pair is different, and I would always be more likely to play 66 than 22, so taking the smalls pairs out of your range is something gradual, its not an "always or never" thing, black or white. But especially 22-44 are kind of overvalued hands, which people typically tend to play to much, and its rarely going to be that wrong to just dump them.
And if stacks get into some kind of intermediate territory like 30BB, where you are to shallow to setmine, but to deep to jam, its also fine to sometimes just fold the smallest pairs, even if you only have a few people left to act after you. It will depend also, how deep are the other players, can someone behind jam on you, etc.
Finally each pair is different, and I would always be more likely to play 66 than 22, so taking the smalls pairs out of your range is something gradual, its not an "always or never" thing, black or white. But especially 22-44 are kind of overvalued hands, which people typically tend to play to much, and its rarely going to be that wrong to just dump them.
Boston10111
Rock Star
Silver Level
Some places I’ve read saying you should be playing 77s or 88s and higher from UTG as you won’t win most of the time with say 22s.
One example is someone shoved me with pocket fours. His stack was maybe 5 or six blinds and everyone else folded to me in the big blind. I called with 5-9 since I was only putting in 3 or 4 blinds. I hit a 5 on the turn and won.
Small pocket pairs can lose to virtually anything if somebody catches the board. In a multi pot someone usually does catch the board.
I’ll admit I’ll raise or limo with a small pocket pair. And I do win sometimes without hitting a set, but I’m learning that it may not be profitable do always be playing these low pairs. Even if you do hit a set you still have to hope they are willing to put a lot of chips in the middle and I’m talking like a full stack or 30-40 blinds for this to be a profitable play.
While I did say I’ll play them in UTG I do so only when I have a large stack for the most part with the hopes I can make my stack even larger. But the smaller the stack the less they’re played.
A lot of people will shove 2s any spot with 9 blinds. Cause they’re desperate for chips. I wait for a better hand. You could be shoving into 3-4 other people that will call, especially bounty tournaments, and you will almost never win .shoving with 4-6 offsuit is better than shoving 2s or 3s UTG
One example is someone shoved me with pocket fours. His stack was maybe 5 or six blinds and everyone else folded to me in the big blind. I called with 5-9 since I was only putting in 3 or 4 blinds. I hit a 5 on the turn and won.
Small pocket pairs can lose to virtually anything if somebody catches the board. In a multi pot someone usually does catch the board.
I’ll admit I’ll raise or limo with a small pocket pair. And I do win sometimes without hitting a set, but I’m learning that it may not be profitable do always be playing these low pairs. Even if you do hit a set you still have to hope they are willing to put a lot of chips in the middle and I’m talking like a full stack or 30-40 blinds for this to be a profitable play.
While I did say I’ll play them in UTG I do so only when I have a large stack for the most part with the hopes I can make my stack even larger. But the smaller the stack the less they’re played.
A lot of people will shove 2s any spot with 9 blinds. Cause they’re desperate for chips. I wait for a better hand. You could be shoving into 3-4 other people that will call, especially bounty tournaments, and you will almost never win .shoving with 4-6 offsuit is better than shoving 2s or 3s UTG
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FlopGrinder
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Bet 4x, fold if you face a raise. If you dont hit on flop, Cbet on the flop out of position or just fold facing a bet in position and give up the pot.
danix
Enthusiast
Silver Level
In UTG small pairs is fold, because the only reason to get into the small pair game is to try to hit set and this happens only 12% of the time. So when you come into the game with small pairs you will fold that hand on the flop 88% of the time this is if you do not encounter a preflop raise and already have to fold losing chips.
kraemer
Visionary
Silver Level
Why would I fold 44 or 22 on a flop like 368 rainbow after I played a raise UTG ?
The players who called me with AK, AQ or high suited connectors like KQ have missed the flop completely and I can now make a c-bet to buy the pot right there...
HItting a set might be the prefered outcome, but it is definitively not the only way to win a pot with a small pocket pair.
This also pretty much depends on your table image. If the other players consider you to be very tight they might put you on a much stronger pocket pair and will fold even if they hit a pair, because they think you still have them beaten...
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yoejslattery
Enthusiast
Silver Level
If you are going to play low pocket pairs in early position you have to be prepared to turn them into a bluff. Hitting the set basically becomes the back up plan.
Datdude1
Visionary
Bronze Level
With a small pair UTG I think that you have to make a decisive decision at this time. You either have to represent a bigger hand or get out and if you represent a bigger hand and someone goes over the top, this is the time you get out.
Poker_Mike
Legend
Loyaler
I agree with you....
I chose to defend 22 from the BB to a standard raise.
Flop was 976r and I probably paused too long and then donk-shoved and my opponent insta-called w QQ and he wins.
Good luck !
