Playing 22 UTG

Okay this is a generic scenario when you start with pocket deuces (22).

Especially from 'Under the Gun' position.

Flop: no deuce
Obviously if someone bets small, it is reasonable to be a set miner and hope for a deuce and call now.
If I haven't shown any aggression preflop, firing a bullet will look suspicious.

Turn: no deuce
If someone bets here, that's good enough to fold.
However, if anyone is slow playing or setting a trap from flop itself = loss.

River: no deuce
Same like turn, if someone bets here, that's late but still good enough for fold.
If nobody bets up until this stage, how do you bet here?? :?

flop: flop raise isnt too bad, you can actually take control if they flat call for the turn, and if they check again, you can check behind and check down the river, given that your in position, that leaves them vulnerable to show the hand first . if out of position, fold on flop to a raise or check.

i wouldn't even try to play it any further and maybe just try to check check all way down.

To avoid such torment in the choice I usually try not to play 22 in position under the gun.

Agree.

To avoid problem decisions on latter streets, Ill rather dump this duck hand and just move on.

Checking the river would be just fine for me.Try to avoid unnecessary risk with small hand.

utg 22 can safely be folded pre at almost all stack sizes against almost all opponents, typically this is true even in 6 max. Usually the only way im playing 22 utg is if I'm open jamming a less than 7 bb stack.

If you're limping 22 UTG and calling raises from later positions or the blinds hoping to hit a set, this is a leak. Limping in with 22 in late position or in the SB in a pot where others have already limped in is a different story. Stack sizes matter here a lot too.

If you're raising pre-flop UTG at a full table with 22 this is also a leak, there are no other hands that you're meaningfully ahead of other than those with deuce kickers (even then, a hand like A2 still has close to 35% equity preflop against 22) and if you get callers and don't flop your set, you've likely got problems. You're either flipping or way behind against every other possible holding. Raising the button when it's folded around to you is fine, but again, use caution post-flop because of the above.

Unless you're short-stacked and going to shove, 22 is a hand best folded pre-flop in early positions because you're only going to hit a set about 1 out of 8 times and you will wind up losing much more in the long run than you gain.

UTG 22 is a fold for me its just a hand which is crushed so badly you can play it in late position and try to flop a set but UTG it can be a real hard hand to play for me as i don't have much experience in bluffing.

according to some charts you can open jam 22 even with 8 BB´s and Antes (and also UTG+1 with Antes and 10 BBs)

Set mine only if you are deep (relative) or fold (if you are compromising even a small % of your stack.

Push if late and have short M or BBs especially with Antes.

On flop if I miss with that sort of hand, often when you limp UTG you get inane amounts of over respect as people fear a trap especially if you have been tight, this is good/bad as you are now vs at least the blinds and you have made a situation where it is nearly impossible to range them
They could have a larger pp or even a strong ace and were respecting your limp utg.

fols 22 under the gun. I do the same with3-5s. UTG will get a raise, but you cant call a bet hoping for a 2 outer (trips) on the flop...

It really depends on the quality of players at the table. If you are playing against decent players, they will see a raise from UTG as very strong and will only call with premium hands. So you could raise from UTG with 22 to completely throw off your opponents' assessment of your range. But of course, you risk someone actually having a hand calling you or, worse, re-raising you. When reraised, you have to fold this hand.

Perception is everything in poker. Raising UTG with 22 makes people think you have a strong hand. But, if you play against weak players they may not be skilled enough to make that assumption.

Funny how I'm basically implying that you should play 22 UTG more often with stronger players than with weaker players. This seems coutner intuitive but if you think about it, a strong raise from UTG will result in most strong players with less than premium hands folding.

If you do get to see a flop with 22 from UTG and you do not get your third 2 right away, you can oftentimes go ahead and bet half the pot anyways because your strong raise preflop puts you in a position to bluff post-flop no matter what the flop is (if the flop is low cards then opponents will assume you have a high pocket pair, if the flop is high cards they will assume you hit your draw).

think this is player, blind, and format dependent

you want to have odds to hit the set

and situations like 20bbs you probably want to avoid limping 22 utg, because you cant really call any raise

generally fold, You can bet it rearly pre if you get re-rasie fold it when You have max 2 players in hand and safe flop with no draws you can make small cbet if You get called check/fold but... NEVER call raise with no deuce on flop it is hyper unprofitable chasing 2 outers only fishes play like that

What's the point of playing 22's anyway. You're gonna waste money limping and some aggresive player will surely raise making it worse to call preflop. After the flop if you hit then sweet, otherwise just dump it.

absolutely unnecessary hand .. with the greatest pleasure I have learned not to play especially when there are aggressive players who will not allow you to see the flop cheaply

trolaAa said:

absolutely unnecessary hand .. with the greatest pleasure I have learned not to play especially when there are aggressive players who will not allow you to see the flop cheaply

Click to expand...

key point....you have to know your opponents well...

I would fold this hand UTG in a full game for sure. You don't need to fall in love with the thought of getting a set. The odds of you even getting paid off by hitting your set out of position is a long shot in itself. You are putting yourself in positions to be the underdog in the hand or to win a small pot. 22 is a playable, but only in the right spots with the right situations. So patch that leak and chuck those deuces UTG

The best way to play 22 UTG in a full ring game is to not play it.

The best way to play 22 UTG in a 6max game is to raise sometimes and fold sometimes depending on the table dynamic

/thread

Depending on the format 22 can be limped in the early positions for tons of value, don't get in to the habit of playing a rigid style.

I play regular speed 9 man SNG's $7 - $15 buy in and there is definitely a window of opportunity for limping small pairs and high suited connectors that you wouldn't normally raise in early positions.

As is with every single decision you make you need to identify the players and the table as a whole (stack sizes, payout structure, etc) and then play accordingly.

Small pairs (22-66) and high suited connectors (JTs, QJs, KJs,) work well when stack to blind ratio is high as this will give you good implied odds to set mine or flop decent with HSC's. You also want to identify the player types because open limping in ep with these hands in a reg infested game is pretty much playing your hand face up and you will get iso raised a lot and when you do flop a set your range will be easier for a solid reg to work out.

With that said optimal conditions would be players that have low PFR and play lots of hands assuming they are weak players that stack off light or spew chips. In general the fishier the table the more likely I am to open limp these hands and sometimes even wider if there are maniacs at the table.

Hope this helps. I still have a lot of learning to do myself but this has proved extremely valuable in the regular speed games and turbo formats for me since 2011.

i would probably fold deuces alot under the gun but maybe i got 3 times the average chips in play blinds are 400/800 ante 80 i might might call or raise anything between 800 to 3296 and see what aggression is put before me it might be a walk or thechip leader might raise u all in under the gun and their good against qj offsuit bad against bigger pairs queens and higher great for u if noone hits the flop disaster if they hit but i would be in or out on the flop protecting myself against flushes and straights and if i had a great flop get the pot up to 10000

I do not play 22 in any position except the blinds if there is a raise before the flop, I fold immediately

I would not play with 22 UTG, is almost every time just a waste of chips.
I would only play on late positions or if the blinds were incredibly low relating to my stack

Its excellent to play 22 in any postion as long as your agressive and refuse to fold until someone puts something in your face with an raise ateast on turns, small pockets have alot of value as most people draw on draws or simply dont hit highest pair or anything, be agressive

The strategy is simple - throw 22 in such a position and never let them play, just on the button !