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EXPERT VIEW - Reassessing The Value Of Pocket Pairs
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12 July 2006
When you`re playing no-limit hold`em some of the toughest strategy questions posed to you revolve around playing pocket pairs correctly before the flop. Certain poker hands, particularly pocket Jacks, can be overbet with ease and the consequences are devestating to your poker bankroll.
The central difficulty with a hand such as pocket Jacks is the belief that you need to eliminate most of your opponents pre-flop in order to win, but this belief is flawed and may not even be profitable. If you put in a huge raise pre-flop in no limit you will either force everyone to fold or get action from the kind of hands that can improve to beat you or bigger pocket pairs which already dominate you.
A big raise with a medium pair, and I classify pocket Jacks as a pocket pair even though many players treat them like Aces, will either win you very little, put you in a race against a hand that is 50/50 to beat you (AK,AQ,KQ), or get you stomped on by a bigger hand.
There are times to push all-in with pocket pairs, and that`s when your back is up against it. If you are short-stacked or face a relentless bully with position (a blind stealer who has the button for your big blind) then you can push aggressively with those hands. Why? Because there is a higher probability that your opponent has nothing, or at least a hand that you can dominate (Ax or suited connectors or a smaller pair).
Pocket pairs derive a lot of value from disguise. If the flop comes J-x-x and you hold pocket Jacks you now have the opportunity to make a lot of money. If the flop comes 8-4-2 and you have pocket Jacks you are also in a great position to make money. But you deprive yourself of these sunstantial payoffs when you play them fast early.
The other problem with medium pocket pairs is that they are vulnerable to weak players. In a recent no-limit tournament I put in a big bet pre-flop with pocket Jacks and got a call from the weak big blind. Why did I do this? Because it is my privilege to ignore my own advice and strategy! Learn from my folly, people...
The flop came K-2-3 and I bet out only to face a huge re-raise. My opponent had called with K7 suited, which was a trifle loose of him but once again I had overplayed the hand pre-flop and put myself in a lot of trouble.
We were shorthanded in that example and one could argue that I should have moved all-in, but there are players out there who will call all-ins with K7 suited, and for a lot of money as well, so be careful the next time you`re dealt 88 and feel frisky.
Posted by: Marc at 12:35
1 Comments
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