Hi all!I was wondering how do you deal with pocket deuces at any position pre-flop in tournaments? In my case, it is a snap fold most of the time regardless of my stack size even. Is this pocket pair undervalued? Is there something I'm missing to know how to handle it upside?

Well it really depends on situation, stack size, reads on your villains and so on...
In general, i think it's a great hand for HU situation, as we very rarely have a spot, where we meet another bigger pair. And against non-pair we are slightly a favorite with 22.
It's also a great hand for limping in multi-way pot from middle-late position at early stages of the tournament too. I mean there are chances 1 to 7 to hit third 2 on a flop, if i remember right. So this hand has huge implied odds eventually on post flop. But be careful playing that hand on paired board! Although it can be looking as we are most times ahead (which is likely truth against 1 or 2 villains on small cards flop), but the problem of deuces, it can turn to dead hand easily, when another pair comes on later streets.
For example imagine, that we have a flop like 335 and our villains have AK and QJ. So at the flop we are beating them with two pairs obviously, but there can come another 5 on later streets or let say 7 on turn and 7 on river. And our deuces are dead. AK wins with higher two pairs. So we are actually in a situation, either hit a set or give up on flop.

Any pair is good.

I play without much hope and if someone increases a lot I'll fold.

Usually I drop them, but one day at CO, a lot of people limped into the bank and I limped in with 22, the flop came 22 and I took a very good pot.

I push the game without much pay what they are betting, once the showdown and managed to make a trio start betting slowly, several times I won with them!

Pocket pair of twos is the weakest pair. I only go with her when I call on bb or a small raise in 2bb. In all other cases I throw out. There is a player who simply throws this pair into an allin at once. I do not understand them. Winning it is difficult.

I throw off 90 sluyah of sta.Plohaya card in my opinion ...

You want to have at least 30bbs to limp them or call a small bet, otherwise you can raise them in late position if there is no action in front of you.

Also depends the table, if pot size gets big post flop and/or players tend to play until river: the lower pairs have very low value.
But: in late position with several limpers the pot odds are good.
For me lower pairs are 'limpers' and hope for a set on the flop.

Only time I really ever mess with ducks is late position late in tourneys with a sizable stack. I rarely if ever try to bluff with them if I do play it and whiff the flop.

Good hand for Heads UP but i hate it on tournaments..i kinda always fold it

I play it similar to suited connectors as with most small pairs. Just depends on stack size, postion at table and stage of tournament.

If I can see flop cheap then I will play. If it checks round after the turn then get a bet in a u should be good. Even though with 22 u are scared of the Broadway cards if its a limped pot then chances r the other players are scared of the broadways as well. also keep an eye out for the drawing hands.. Just coz they call doesn't mean they have the ace or king on the board it usually means they have the 2 spades or 67 and r chasing that draw.
Not all the time but if the draws haven't come in by the river then a gd size bet should do it.

I play pocket deuces only if I could see the flop for cheap and with hope of getting three deuces or better.

I rarely play with pocket deuces, but sometimes there are exceptions, when you do not have to pay for the flop, turn and river

22 certainly a weak pair, but the draw it possible. It all depends on the situation. and of course stack.

When you are deep stacked you should play it and try to flop a set, when you have around 20BB you should fold it from early and middle position, and when you have around 10BB you should shove if nobody raised before you.

I usually limp them if i have good stack , or i foldem even if i am a short hate shove 22

Same here, mostly limp with deuces. Unless I'm in position, it's a KO tournament, everyone folded before me and I'm well ahead with the stack. Then I shove them. 1v1 or 1v2, deuces isn't that bad of a hand (of course if you don't hit someone holding another pair). 1 v 1, chances are the other guy isn't going to hit anything, 1 v 2, if you're big stacked you'll get double bounty chance. Either win a pot with two bounties or get the side one and one bounty (this happens quite often).

Originally Posted by belka2203

Usually I drop them, but one day at CO, a lot of people limped into the bank and I limped in with 22, the flop came 22 and I took a very good pot.

sitVery good when this kind of situation happens

the truth in my case I practically do not play that pair ... the few times I've played it I ended up losing my hand ...! I think playing them from the button would be a good alternative to try to win the hand ...!

If I can get in cheap I play them in hopes of flopping quads, although I'll settle for flopping a full house or a set.

if you can get in for cheap, not much of your stack with many people in, and hoping you hit a set. You will have to make a big bet and maybe shove on the river.

It depends on position, but it does not cost too much to see a flop I should accompany.

my favorite hand for set mining. It still also has the power of a pair.

I very rarely play with 22 and even more rarely with them that I can win, I perceive them as garbage no more.

i would only play 2s in good position or if the pot odds are good to call. hitting a set of 2s is always sneaky and you could be paid off well if you get lucky!!

In early positions, I always fold with them.
I open them and make Call only in late positions

I usually play them slowly, I like to see a flop for a small number of chips and if the set goes out, then the game follows

Frankly speaking, i didn't face even many beats with pocket deuces at the tables maybe because this hand has been disappeared after failure to catch set on postflop stage. These are controversial cards.

No different from any small pair, you are looking for trips obviously, and you want to make sure that both you and your opp. are deep stacked! Good position is a bonus too.

hand with a pair of twos in 85% of the draws losing. it's from my personal experience. I play them, but not always. a very dangerous prank

Originally Posted by RedGnom

Hi all!I was wondering how do you deal with pocket deuces at any position pre-flop in tournaments? In my case, it is a snap fold most of the time regardless of my stack size even. Is this pocket pair undervalued? Is there something I'm missing to know how to handle it upside?

I have an opinion on some hands, and hanging out with pre-flop pairs will always depend on your situation at the table, position, and of course if your opponents.

You want to have at least 30 blinds to limp them, this gives you the right odds to set mine. In late position you can steal with them, and with 20bbs or less you can open shove them sb vs bb.

I love when I can see a cheap flop with them . If you hit you set the strength of your hand is usually unexpected by your opponents and you can often get payed off well.

early on limp and pray. those are the kinda cards that can be very profitable to flop a set with and it is hard for anyone to put you on it. if its late in a game and short stack its good to push with depending on position ofcourse. always raise with it heads up or 3 handed.

I play with such a hand, I'm waiting for that will come on the flop, if there is no third 2 fold

Pocket 2 is not a good hand, but sometimes I can make a call to see what will fall on the flop. Once, I even fell out of a care with 2. But I do not like to play higher bets with such a hand.

Yesterday I had 22 on BB, everybody limped before me, I checked. Flop was Qs,2h,5s. UTG check, MP raise 1/2 pot, every fold to me, I call, utg call. Turn 8d- Utg check, MP- All in, me all in, utg all in. River Js Utg has flush with 10 8s, mp- set with 55, me set 2. So why do I writing this? You haft to be careful with 22 because someone could have set of 3. My mistake was not raising after the flop, to see what my opponents would do and with that information I could make better decision

In fact, small pocket pairs, from 6-6 to 2-2, almost always need to be improved so you can achieve something with them. The chance to reach a set on the flop or something better is 11.76%, that is, once every 8.5 times

If the stack allows and no one raised to me, I can kick or make a minimum raise. A couple of times I caught a square with pocket 2

Originally Posted by ruswolfhound

If the stack allows and no one raised to me, I can kick or make a minimum raise. A couple of times I caught a square with pocket 2

Four of kind is the best performance ever for such controversial pocket deuces. Just need to guess a moment...expectations are low....

Originally Posted by popstani

Yesterday I had 22 on BB, everybody limped before me, I checked. Flop was Qs,2h,5s. UTG check, MP raise 1/2 pot, every fold to me, I call, utg call. Turn 8d- Utg check, MP- All in, me all in, utg all in. River Js Utg has flush with 10 8s, mp- set with 55, me set 2. So why do I writing this? You haft to be careful with 22 because someone could have set of 3. My mistake was not raising after the flop, to see what my opponents would do and with that information I could make better decision

Absolutely agree. I prefer to avoid such cases at all except heads up.

2 2 is a coin flip with A K . There is alot of value there . I will play them many different ways depending on the situation . I definetly think you are missing out by snap folding them .

late in a MTT you can always use it to squeeze, and even if you do get called it flips pretty evenly with AK.

I usually evaluate my position on the table, the size of the stack and the bets of other players. course, this pair is for discard, but I like to risk with it

In early position, UTG UTG+1, I fold 22, and maybe even from middle position. I don't usually play pairs smaller than 55 early in position, and early in a game. 22 are pretty useless for anything other than set mining. Early in a game when all stacks are equal and action hasn't really developed yet I don't think that there is much point.

Depends on position and stack sizes but you must remember they are a poor pair to risk some of your stack on.

22 let me down