Pocket Pairs

[southern_lizi]

How can you play them better , i know it depends on wat the flop is but pre flop when you know your in front how should you bet with them? i dont think its better to limp in on them but how much should you raise though to keep some of the other players in the hand

I always seem to run into higher two pair or higher pockets every time i get pocket Jack's

[Garth Kay]

Many Many different ways, depending on opposition, position, chip stack, blinds etc.... etc.....
Easy rule of thumb though, anything below 8's limp or call with and try and hit a set, overcard comes just throw them away. 9's to J's, 3x BB bet or limp, if re raised, call and see what the board comes. QQ, KK, AA smash the pot preflop,3x to 6x BB, re raise all in if necessary (never ever limp in a free roll) watch for draw heavy boards and always know what hand beats you and if it is possible your opponent has it.
Them's the cheat notes, for more in depth analysis I suggest you read some Harrington on Hold em.

[Des]

We need the "Brother's Kay on Hold'em" written

[Garth Kay]

LOL
I will do the "how to deal with a bad beat chapter"! Every book comes with a free baseball bat or punching bag.

[Des]

LOL
I will do the "how to deal with a bad beat chapter"! Every book comes with a free baseball bat or punching bag.

Need a blow up baseball bat

[Scotty]

Garth's 'easy rules of thumb' are a good guide, but obviously position dependent.

Every book or pro's blog you read will have many different theories on how to deal with pockets, and obviously discuss position, table image and stack sizes for all scenarios.

And never forget your 7:1 odds of flopping that set with your pair ...

[southern_lizi]

cheers guys

[maccatak11]

Limp with low pocket pairs garth??? hoping to hit your set? that strategy seems strange, i dont like words like hope in poker lol

my philosophy with low pockets is either raise or fold. if out of position i usually fold (unless 2 or 3 handed and fancy a steal), but if on the button and there has been no significant action beforehand (like a raise or 5 callers), i will often make a small raise (3-4 x bb). option 1 is blinds fold and i win pot, option 2 is i make a continuation bet on the flop - ulness i hit trips - to represent a strong raising hand pre-flop (this is all assuming i have a decent stack - have got into trouble to often with a low stack and low pockets)

but i guess everyones different that thats what makes poker great. man it really annoys me when people go nuts and somebody else (e.g. how can you call with K8) just because they wouldnt call in the same situation themselves.

[Garth Kay]

If you have ever played with me, you will know that I hardly ever limp. It was a general rule of thumb guide for many beginning players and remember that sometimes it is worthwhile to limp to conceal the strength of your hand, especially when you are in such a turbo structured tournament where a big blind quickly becomes 10% or greater of your stack.
I don't think representing strength works that well in NPL, it's either you've hit or you haven't. And no point c betting when you know you are weak and will:
a.) get called
b.) won't be able to push a player off a pot
and
c.) your hand isn't a lock.

[Chelsea4thewin]

the main aspect is how high the pocket pairs are, from 8 and below you will always be up against at least someone with two overcards so its pretty much 50/50, limping with low pairs is good because ur trips will not be obvious and u can win a big pot

position is also a key aspect with the pocket pairs