Small Pocket Pairs
Small pocket pairs can be the bane of a poker player’s existence. They hold a minimum advantage over any non-paired pocket hands, yet can be very difficult to play on a board that contains overcards and straight/flush draws. The hole many players work themselves into is that they end up putting too much money in with small pocket pairs pre-flop and are content to call off additional bets on the flop as well, which can lead to some pretty bad losses. So what’s the true way to go?
Personally, I like to limp with small pocket pairs like 4-4 or 6-6 in pretty much every position. I may fold a hand like 3-3 in early position if I know my table likes to raise it up a lot pre-flop, so again the dynamic of the table you’re at will play an important role in your decision making. By limping in with these small pairs, you allow yourself to see a cheap flop risk free and at the same time put yourself in a good position to fold easily to a scary board, or on the flip side pick up a lot of chips if you flop a set.
Calling raises pre-flop with small pairs can be tricky because you figure most pre-flop raises are going to come from players with big hands like A-Q or higher pocket pairs like 10-10. If you call this raise with 5-5 and the flop comes A-10-7 with two hearts, there are all kinds of ways you could easily be beat and trying to draw at a set is almost never worth it. Advanced players can possibly win a pot with 5-5 on a scary board, but that requires the knowledge of knowing how much to bet and whether or not the opponent can even be pushed off a big hand like top pair.
The best thing to do at the table is to make life as easy as possible. Sure 6-6 might be a small favorite to A-K pre-flop, but the power of those sixes can evaporate quickly after the flop. Have the discipline to release hands like these in less than favorable situations, and at the same time have the knowledge to know how to maximize value when you do flop sets or better with your small pocket pair.
