Middle Pair

[rigor mortis]

Middle pair could possibly be the second worst flop you can get. There are so many factors to consider; the value of the pair, how much it costs to play, your position, the number of players/ possible players in the pot and your stack.
Does anybody have a rule of thumb that could simplify your choice to play or not?

 

[8bod8]

I don't think its second worst', it's almost second best.
But I agree, I'm struggeling how to prevent losing my stack without simply folding.

 

[forest_leaves]

Depends what the middle pair is, on A 5 3 board it might not be very good but on 10 9 4 board, depending on your opponents range it might be good, a lot of factors to consider I guess

 

[kbolding7]

Your opponents range as it correlates to the board is what is most important to remember when deciding to continue. It's very rare i would fold middle pair to a c-bet but there are some times it is acceptable.

 

[JAAMEZz]

Your opponents range as it correlates to the board is what is most important to remember when deciding to continue. It's very rare i would fold middle pair to a c-bet but there are some times it is acceptable.

this one hundo. also set mining is amazing

 

[ScottieDuncan]

That hand scares me every time I get it. Too many outs against you.

 

[NHequalsFU]

Middle pair is good in certain situations and bad in certain situations.

HU middle pair is really good.

If you are against passive opponents no pair is ok if you can steal the pot.

Against aggro players or calling stations, middle pair is trash.

Always tread lightly with middle pairs would be my advice.

 

[CallmeFloppy]

It depends on my opponent(s) and if I am first to act or not. I prefer to bet it when I can.

 

[This Fish Chums]

Mid pairs should see flops, not take down pre-flop pots.

Whenever you have a pre-flop hand and you are going to put chips into the pot you have to ask yourself, are you playing to take down the pot or are you playing to see a flop? If you're looking to take down the pot pre-flop then do NOT do it with mid pairs. Taking down pre-flop pots should be reserved for premium hands. If you're wanting to see a flop with the hand to see if it turns a set or maybe even becomes an over-pair then simply calling is an OK thing to do. I know people hate calling, but there are times when it is a useful way of playing a hand without risking much of your stack, such as when you have a mid pair.

 

[Tunnelrat]

Whenever you have a pre-flop hand and you are going to put chips into the pot you have to ask yourself, are you playing to take down the pot or are you playing to see a flop? If you're looking to take down the pot pre-flop then do NOT do it with mid pairs. Taking down pre-flop pots should be reserved for premium hands. If you're wanting to see a flop with the hand to see if it turns a set or maybe even becomes an over-pair then simply calling is an OK thing to do. I know people hate calling, but there are times when it is a useful way of playing a hand without risking much of your stack, such as when you have a mid pair.

I think the OP meant when you hit mid pair on the board but damn that's some solid advice right there. This is exactly how I'm thinking when planning my play. When you say calling is ok, would you still call a bunch of limpers if you are let's say somewhere in the mid positions or would you rather raise with a drawing hand?

 

[This Fish Chums]

I think the OP meant when you hit mid pair on the board but damn that's some solid advice right there. This is exactly how I'm thinking when planning my play. When you say calling is ok, would you still call a bunch of limpers if you are let's say somewhere in the mid positions or would you rather raise with a drawing hand?

Whoops, you're right. I misread. Sorry.

To answer the OP, what I "try" to do is perform a 3-barrel bluff where I'm pretending to have top pair, weak kicker. Bet a few BBs on the flop, bet 1/4th on the turn, then when the river comes push big (like the pot) hoping they think you hit two pair on the river. Of course, that's assuming they don't actually have the han you're "bluffing with".

But to answer your question, the more limpers you have the more likely it is you'd get called if you raised. So if you want to build a pot in the hopes of getting lucky, raising would be good.
I'd consider folding more in that situation though. Throwing the mid pocket pair away would be a good move given the odds of a higher pair hitting become greater if you can't kick everyone out of the hand.
Unless there are so many limpers that your pot odds are through the roof. Then I'd call just to see a flop (since you're never going to kick everyone out of the hand in that case).