Pocket Pairs

Playing Pocket Pairs Preflop

Pocket pairs can be one of the trickier hands when it comes to preflop play, but its very important that you make the correct preflop decision because often times that will influence how you play the entire hand. If you make a bad decision or two preflop with a pocket pair, it can lead to big pots where you’re way behind and have very few outs. This article will teach you how to play pocket pairs before the flop so you will have easy decisions on the flop and beyond.

Big Pocket Pairs

I’m going to classify big pocket pairs as Queens through Aces. I’m leaving Jacks out because I prefer to play them as more of a middle pair, especially in super aggressive online poker games. With Queens, Kings, or Aces, your preflop move is going to be heavily influenced by the action before you and your position at the table.

In the simplest situation, where no one has entered the pot in front of you, I suggest making a raise of 3-4x the big blind. This accomplishes two things. First of all, it shows that you have a strong hand, and that you’re the aggressor. Second of all, it will knock out hands that could easily outflop you, such as A9 or 910s. I’ve seen far too many players limp in with KK, only to be placed in a horrible situation when they face a bet on an Ace high flop.

Ok, so in the simplest situation, you’re making a 3-4x raise. However, what if someone has entered the pot before you? If a player or two have just called, I make a raise of 4-5x the big blind to compensate for the extra money that has been placed in the pot. If you only make a raise of 3x in that situation, you’re not really protecting your hand because both opponents have pot odds to see the flop.

In the awesome case that someone has made a raise in front of you, and you happen to have a big pocket pair, you should re-raise their bet by 3-4x the size of their raise. For example, if an opponent comes in for a $8 raise at a $1/$2 table, you should make it between $24 and $32. This accomplishes a few things. First of all, you protect your hand if they have something like QJs or A10. Also, you’ll get more information about where your opponent is in the hand. If they fire back with a re-re-raise, you’ll have to re-evaluate the hand. If you have Aces, go ahead and get all in, but with Kings or Queens you’ll have to make a read based on the opponent and the situation.

Mid Pocket Pairs

For this I’m going to classify middle pairs as 77-JJ. These are tricky, because unlike small pairs they actually hold some showdown value, but become useless on many flops. If no one has entered the pot before me I like to be the aggressor and make a 3-4x sized raise. If I’m in early position with one of the smaller middle pairs, I might just limp in, but for the most part I’m going to make a standard sized raise.

If a few players have called in front of me, I’ll usually just call behind. This is because if I make a raise I’m very likely to get at least one caller, and it’ll be a tough situation on the flop because I’ll have to make a continuation bet and most likely there will be at least one overcard out there.

The other situation is if someone has made a raise in front of me. If I’m facing a raise, and no other players have entered the hand, I’ll usually call it to try to flop a set. I’m even more likely to do that if a few players have called the raise, because it gives me better pot odds to come in. If there’s a raise and a re-raise, I’m throwing all of these hands away because I’m almost surely behind in the hand.

Small Pocket Pairs

Small pairs (66-22) are very straightforward when it comes to preflop play. If no one has entered the pot before you, just limp in. If there is a raiser, call the raise if the pot odds justify it. Basically, if there’s a raiser in front of me and no one else has called, I’ll fold, but if a few people have called the raise, I’ll come in to try to make a set. These hands only serve one purpose – make a set or get out of there. Don’t try to fool around on the flop if you miss the set, because it never leads anywhere good. If you do make trips, read this article about how to play sets on the flop.

Texas Hold'em Download wishes you the best of luck on the tables... play those pocket pairs correctly and reap the rewards!