PLAYING SMALL POCKET PAIRS.

I am not an expert or master of the game so take this post with a grain of salt and please feel free to blast me in the comments below. Here are some of my thoughts on playing small, 6 through T’s, pocket pairs in tournaments. Any pair below 6’s gets mucked unless I am in the BB and no raise. Let’s consider what T.J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy say about small pairs.

T.J.: “I don’t play small pairs, but I might flat call from an early position with them, hoping not to get raised. If I do get raised, I’ll fold,” from “Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold’em.” Tom also looks for a multi-way pot and plays them from late position or when the game is short handed. TJ wants multi-way action so that when the set does come, he can make serious money off it. He does not say why he might flat call from an early position, but my guess is because if he flops the set no one will put him on it.

T.J. commenting on Tom: “Tom doesn’t mind limping in with the small pairs or bringing them in for a small raise and will stand a small raise hoping to flop a set.”

Well, my thinking is more in line with Tom then T.J., if I can limp into the pot from the BB or a late position and there are a number of callers I’ll do so hoping to flop my set. If I don’t catch my set then I’m out to the first raise, period. If I do catch my set and there are no solid draws on the flop (three suited or three connectors) I’ll bet the pot or double any raise ahead of me. Ninety percent of the time I win at this point, even if it goes to the river, because the drawing hands are gone and the callers usually have either two pair or top pair with top kicker. The 10th time I run into a bigger set.

Another situation worth considering is when you catch the flop and the board pairs giving you the full house. If the board shows an over pair you must be cautious of a larger full house. I’ll bet the pot; but, if 4th street or the river bring a monster raise, I’ll fold unless I know the raiser is a loose player or I have detected a tell.

In the late stages of the tournament I’ll only come in with a small pocket pair if I get in for free on the BB blind or if I’m on a short stack, knowing I won’t be around much longer. In the short stack situation I tend to play the small pairs very agressivly, bringing them in for a raise from late position if there has been no early action. I will then push all-in after the flop if there has been no action or there are no over cards.

I have now listed my thoughts about small pocket pairs and after having read what I have written maybe I should lean more toward T.J. and mostly avoid playing small pairs so I stay out of the traps, especially the traps I set for myself.