[beekeeper]

Lately it seems I am dealt pocket 22, 33 or 44 in EP and an unopened pot, and I don't know what to do with them (usually fold). It's a hand that I feel can't stand up to a flop or a reraise, and I hate to be a first limper. I've also found myself in later position with these small pairs, facing a raise from an aggressive player who will protect his bets with reraises.

1. Is it a "leak" in my game to just fold these hands preflop from EP?
2. If I believe that I will play the hand heads up, should I call a bet from LP with a small pair?
3. If a game is short-handed (6 or less), and Ms are low but my stack is healhy, how do I play small pairs?

For some reason I hate 22 more than the others because it just seems certain that if you see a flop you're beat.

[guinness]

Assuming cash game, I love small pairs. I would never fold a pocket pair in any position if I'm not getting enough pressure from someone else. Sets are just yummy.

I like Phil Laaks implied odd reasoning for small pairs in that if I'm raised preflop by someone else, I will always call if we both have 12x (or more) the raise in front of me. I used to be on the 8x side and I like 12x better. I think over time, this allows me to be on the + side of small pairs vs even. If I don't flop a set, I will occassionally raise the flop if junk cards come out anticipating an AK or AQ not hitting by the opponent.

Playing 1/2 NL online, if someone pumps the pot to $8 preflop and they have like $40 in front of them, I instafold. If they have $300 and I have similar, I instacall.

I'm a LAG player though, so I don't mind playing small pairs like aces from preflop to river sometimes, depending on who's playing.

[hachkc]

In cash games, small pairs are more valuable IMO. I'll limp with the weaker ones in EP most of the time, call most normal raises but will generally fold to reraises. Multiway in LP, is the ideal spot while HU OOP is the worst spot. Obviously, you are playing on implied odds in most cases so the opponents stacks are very important.

In tournies, much less valuable first off because stacks are generally not as deep plus tourney chips are so much more valuable then cash chips. In the early rounds, I pretty much play them the same way as in a cash game.

[ttflyr]

Small pairs can be a killer. I try and get a cheap/free look and I am ready to dump them if necessary (exspecially if no pre-flop raise took place, and I limped). I don't get attached to them for the same reason. It's hard to make descisions when under pressure with a small pair simply because the number of outs is usually 2 cards. Not much help if the cards are going to be shown face up. The fact you have a pair decreases you odds of drawing on a straight or flush.
Small pairs in position "pre-flop" are a little easier to play in my opinion. If you don't hit, they fall apart real fast.

tt

[jojobinks]

yeah, if you're sufficiently deep, calling a raise (or opening for one) is always fine.

imagine you're up against a donkament player that doesn't know cash games(will always c-bet 2/3 the pot, will always fire again on the turn with top pair and will have a hard time laying down if you raise him on the turn or bet the river). imagine the blinds are $1/2 and both stacks are a million $ deep.

see how profitable small pairs are in that situation? the truth is that in cash games when you're much less deep the situation is just as good. i recently played the NLHE game in your state, at hochunk casino. blinds 1/2 and a $300 max buyin. with the way those guys were playing, NOT calling a $10 raise with any pair or suited connectors would have been the big mistake. they just paid off way too big when you flop huge.

note: it's impossible to overvalue position with these hands. they do MUCH better when you're last to act.

[JoseRijo]

For tournaments, I think you can open-raise them in EP early in the tournament (because you can safely fold to a re-raise). But especially later on, I think folding them in EP is the opposite of a leak!

Guinness already said everything there is to know about the cash game side.

[hachkc]

Originally Posted by ttflyr

If you don't hit, they fall apart real fast.
tt

That's the beauty of these hands and things like small - mid SC. If you miss the flop, you can easily get away from flop. Things like KQ when a K or Q flop are trickier.

[jldecarlo]

I agree with all of the above, but still wonder if we (esp me) overvalue these hands. Sets are great, no doubt. However, sets can kill you if a flush or straight (or higher set) hits. I tend to nearly always bet pretty strong with a set, unless there are neither straight or flush probabilities on the board.

It seems to me that you're 1 in 8 to hit the set (math). If you do, you're at least 1 in 3 to either loose the hand to a better hand or win a very small pot (invented off the top of my head). You win a large pot absolutely not more 1 in 12-15 hands that you're dealt a small pp. So it seems to me that Phil Laak's rule that stacks need to be 12+ times the size of the bet is very reasonable and 20+ is not out of line.

L

Disclaimer: This may be colored by the fact that I was felted last night online when my 33 lost to an inside straight draw on the turn after flopping a set.

[tomb1]

One other interesting twist -- when you flop your set, how do you play it to get paid that 8-12BB you need?

Carefully is the answer, I guess. But slowplay? Depends on straight/flush draws?

[jmc]

With deep stacks and loose preflop players, I can definitely see an arguement for making small pot-builder raises with em. This is assuming that most players respect your game, and won't come over the top without a very strong hand.

Say everyone has 100BB or more, if you raise to 3xBB, you'll have a much easier time extracting money if you do flop a set. Even if you're reraised to 9xBB, you're still getting about the right odds to set-mine.

The above strategy goes out the window under the following circumstances:
1. Players are willing to go broke with one pair in an unraised pot.
or
2. Players behind you will read your 3xBB open for weakness and will 3-bet you light.

Most of the time, you'll flop 3 overcards and be forced to check/fold the hand.
However, sometimes you'll end up playing the flop against one or two players and the texture will allow you take down the pot with a c-bet.