How do you play small pairs late in tournaments?

Thinker_145

Thinker_145

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By small I only mean 22, 33 and perhaps 44 as well.

See the odds of flopping a set are really not worth wasting a big blind late in a tournament. You are pretty much guaranteed to get all over cards and then you are way too easily bluffed in that spot.

So I see 3 ways of playing this hand late in tournament,

1. I would fold if I am a big stack since I really dont have to get into this hand and take an unnecessary risk. But I wouldnt mind taking on a really small stack heads up.

2. Go all in if I am a short stack and just hope for the best.

3. Limp in or call a small raise and then put the opponent on a range of hands. Remember we are talking really big blinds here so nobody is limping with nothing. If the flop is all under 10 then it is reasonable to assume you have the better hand. But ofcourse this is an immensely risky thing and a pair is barely a favorite over 2 over cards so its not like you are going to have a better hand most of the time.

There was a time when min call was a "must" for me with any pair but with time I have realized that these small pairs really arent that great cards and will mostly make you lose the hand unless you commit to it. Remember a 22 does not dominate any hand unless it involves a deuce and is utterly crushed by an over pair.

I would like to hear other thoughts on this matter. :)
 
Mr Sandbag

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Play it like...

-a premium hand with a shortstack in any position
-a trash hand with a deepstack in poor position
-a mediocre hand with a deepstack in decent or good position
-a premium hand with any stack size heads-up (especially against a short stack)
 
Thinker_145

Thinker_145

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Play it like...

-a premium hand with a shortstack in any position
-a trash hand with a deepstack in poor position
-a mediocre hand with a deepstack in decent or good position
-a premium hand with any stack size heads-up (especially against a short stack)
Great description thanks and I completely agree. :)
 
jaworek1405

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If i'm first person in a spot, i raise and i try to hit a set, if i'm in late postion usually I fold pairs like 22, 33, 44 because in my opinion it doesn't profitable. You hit a set 1 on 8 times.
 
alias patron

alias patron

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In my view pairs play a final table, depends a lot on the kind of players you're dealing with, it would fold in early position without thinking, but in the end positions would conduct a mini raise if I came clean hand and then wait for the small blind or big pickups will equalize and a set or in a worse case do you reraise player that much would depend what you do. In my view clear.
 
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4evertilted

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Position Position Position is all i can say
 
Aleksei

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Shortstack, open-shove.

Midstack, fold in most positions.

Deepstack, setmine.
 
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baudib1

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small pairs have value in MTTs as resteal hands vs. LP openers as they have decent all-in equity when called.

Opening with them is terrible from most positions, you are much-better off opening suited trash and connectors because you can flop and turn equity whereas small pairs have 2 outs.
 
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