Pocket pairs feel like a death sentence. what do i do

[witfighter]

Way to often when I get pocket 7, 8, 9, 10 , J it turns out the other player has a pocket pair just slightly higher. How can you tell if the other player has higher pocket vs high pair on the board. the betting is similar. Its driving me crazy because It is a big set back every time. otherwise I feel like I have a good feel, or at least am developing a good feel for what the other player has.

 

[bbennie1]

Pocket pairs are very tricky indeed. One thing I learned from watching others is that it's better not call with a pocket pair in the blinds unless it's atleast 3-way+. Calling a 3-bet against one other player is bad too. It's better to fold or 4-bet.

 

[chippyrob]

i personally try not to call with pairs.... it sounds stupid but i have a name for pocket pairs i call them (pokerstars all in bait) i can be ohnest in saying i have lost a hell of alot more with pocket pairs than won... but thats how i play i dont expect you to feel the same... hope this helps in some way my friend

robert

 

[Jack Reacher]

You can't.You have two tough options in front of you:first,go hard and be prepared to lose big if your opponent indeed have overpair or second stop playing low and middle pairs.It is up to you.

 

[jadestem]

Set mine if you are getting a good price, if you don't hit then fold unless you can get to a cheap showdown. This is what I do a majority of the time. If I am comfortable with my read on the villain then I may try to make a play, but when in doubt play conservatively!

 

[TeUnit]

Make sure the effective stacks are at least 30bbs, look at how often the villan leads or folds to cbets.

 

[Igrok1385385]

Pocket pair, it can be a good thing can be bad. Despite what a pocket pair in your hand, what position you are, how many people participate in the raffle. It is a great temptation to "break the bank", but in the end you can lose a lot of money.

 

[blueskies]

Just don't go crazy with them. I've seen ppl call 5 bets all in with 22. They will win sometimes but at best 22 is a coin flip. Just depends on luck I guess. Against me, any PP wins. 33 vs. my KK? Sure win.

It's about luck once the chips are in there.

 

[ritz_avalanche]

With weaker pocket pairs I dont go all in and if I don't hit a trips for 6-6 or lesser i might even fold if i dont like the bet sizing

 

[Collin Moshman]

That's a great question. Poker is a game of imperfect information. You never know if you have the best hand. So what you want to do is focus (post-flop) on having a good gameplan. For example, if you have 66 on a flop of 7 5 2, your hand is probably a favorite over your opponent's range in a heads-up pot. So you might bet once or twice, and also check back at least one street for pot control. Or you call down a maniac all the way since he might have anything.

The point is that you never know for sure, and neither do your opponents. Do a better job coming up a good plan and thinking about spots well, and overall money will flow to you even if you make some mistakes along the way!

 

[Slevcenko]

In try to play them setmining style, passive and cheap preflop if im deep enough and value if hit the set.

 

[zinzir]

Way to often when I get pocket 7, 8, 9, 10 , J it turns out the other player has a pocket pair just slightly higher. How can you tell if the other player has higher pocket vs high pair on the board. the betting is similar. Its driving me crazy because It is a big set back every time. otherwise I feel like I have a good feel, or at least am developing a good feel for what the other player has.

It looks like you're unlucky. After the coronavirus restrictions are lifted and you can go outside, try to step on all the dog turds you can find on the ground, I heard that brings good luck

 

[ROYALROAD]

pocket pair

Even if all pocket pairs are AA, please play by the feeling which is "If the pot could be made myself's, I was lucky."

 

[Matt_Burns88]

Of course, you can never know exactly what your opponent has until showdown, but you can gather information throughout the hand. For example, if UTG open raises he is probably playing around 10% of hands, which is 66+, A9s+, KTs+, QTs+, and suited connectors down to 98s.

So, if you have 99, you are already ahead of much of his range.

If the board then comes A-Q-T, you need to proceed very cautiously, because the board hits his range full in the face with straights, sets, 2 pairs, even bottom pair now has you beat. On the flip side, if the board comes T-5-3, you can be reasonably confident you're ahead. Sure he has some 10's in his range, but the odds are he doesn't. I would tend to call and check, or bet small when he checks to try to get him to call with hands like AK, AQ.

The important thing is to not get carried away with medium pocket pairs. A lot of players get excited when they have a pair in their hand and don't seem to recognise that if it doesn't improve, they just have a very marginal made hand. Oppositely, when players do hit their set, they think it's time to get clever and slow play their monster, when actually you want to be building the pot to get the most value out of your premium made hand.

Good luck in your games.

 

[I LOVE BENE]

Mind set oop only. This way you'll be laying them down most of the time. Make sure the stacks are deep enough to make it worth while when you do hit. It's also helpful to know a little bit about your opponent. Is he a calling station or does he overplay his hands.

 

[bigthereal]

they can cause significant difficulties for sure

 

[rigor mortis]

Pocket pairs depend upon the remaining community cards. Medium or low pairs I'd rather muck. You'll know which way the wind is blowing after the flop

 

[Good Man]

-

Mostly I go with top pairs AA, QC, QQ. There are some pretty interesting moves in poker. For example, small cards moved to the top pair. It also depends on how the game goes. I don't play with JJ very often. But when I'm in a tilt and I lose my balance in the game and my discipline, I do all sorts of wild things, go ollin with small pockets. So before the game, I advise you to tune in well, and do not lose your head during the game when you see the average and top pair!
Final thoughts

Overplaying overparts and top pairs in poker is one of the most common mistakes of low-limit players, which prevents them from finally becoming positive.

Therefore, first of all, you should generally change your attitude to premium pocket pairs. Yes, pre-flop it's NATs, but when it comes to post-flop, it's just one pair.

Second, pay attention to the Board textures and try not to inflate the cans on coordinated boards with lots of potentially strong hands.

And of course, don't forget to pay attention to the opponent you are playing against and the hands they represent to you by their actions, especially on the turn and river.
Remember:The overplaying a top pair in poker is a mistake that kills your winrate!:five:

 

[619Leafs]

With pocket pairs I have the same trouble figuring out if opponents have a bigger pair. What try to do is try to get a cheap flop and if I don't hit anything I'll simply fold.

 

[chinito2410]

I think that a pair is not always a winner and go all in, because sometimes even if your opponents don't go all in, you don't win as many chips as you wanted.
Although you also have to analyze because the flop may not favor you later and you can lose even if you have a great pair.

 

[over_big]

I too often think the world is conspiring against me with pocket pairs.

One pair hands are not worth putting alot of money in the pot post-flop.

I have an issue with overvaluing them.

I will say that playing and getting experience in PLO has helped me tremendously on the proper value of hands in NLH.

 

[Chicungulla]

Pre-flop hands overvalued pair of 2 to pair of J in my opinion.

 

[BigCountryAA]

Way to often when I get pocket 7, 8, 9, 10 , J it turns out the other player has a pocket pair just slightly higher. How can you tell if the other player has higher pocket vs high pair on the board. the betting is similar. Its driving me crazy because It is a big set back every time. otherwise I feel like I have a good feel, or at least am developing a good feel for what the other player has.

Top pair or an over pair or higher is strong on the flop. 2 pair, a set, trips or higher is strong after the turn and full house, straights and flushes are strong once you've made it to the river. This isn't exact and will change depending on the player and board texture you are facing but it will give you an idea of how much power your hand actually has. Once you are past the flop a pair loses a lot of strength. (unless you have a good read on your opponent and he's capable of calling you down or continuation betting all 3 streets with only a pair.)

 

[RimworldDoctor]

Look into "set mining" and strategies around that. Often, small and mid pocket pairs aren't worth much unless you complete the set. Larger pairs are better because they give you overpair value, but don't fall in love with anything other AA and KK.

Each pocket pair has 6 combinations, so Queens are dominated by 12 hand combinations. You're also not doing THAT well against AK (12 combinations). If there are 24 combinations that beat you, suddenly those Queens don't look that great against an early position shove from a tight player.

 

[ADRI7HO]

If you watch your opponent from your style of play, a lot can be deduced from your bidding strategy. Obviously, if you're not a visionary, you'll still run into once or twice higher pairs anyway.
Poker is like that.