Playing Second Pair
Flopping anything less than top pair can cause an uneasy feeling. You don’t necessarily want to lay it down to any bet but at the same time you can’t normally lead out with a bet your own first, as getting called (or worst, raised) won’t really help your decision making on the next street. Is it possible to stay in and win a hand when you flop second pair? Of course, however there are many factors to take into consideration when deciding how to move forward.
The most important thing is to look at the overall situation. How many players are still in the hand? Are you in early, middle or late position? Are there any straight/flush draws on the board? Was there a pre-flop raise? Is the card that would make someone top pair far higher than yours (say if you had A-7 on a board of 3-7-K)? All of these questions need answers. If you are in early or middle position you’re going to have to check this hand almost all of the time, unless you’re heads-up. If there was a pre-flop raise and more than two players called, then it’s likely that a Queen, King or Ace would have helped someone’s hand.
If the action is checked around to you and you’re in late position you can venture a bet if the conditions are correct. Ideally you would want there to be few opponents in the hand. If someone had top pair they probably would’ve bet the flop unless they had a weak kicker to go with their pair, at which point they would probably check then call a bet. If there are no flushes or draws on the board and your bet gets called this should send up a red flag. If the next street brings a blank and your opponent checks again, there are a few types of hands they could have, namely the top pair/weak kicker mentioned above, an overpair to the board, or they could be trapping with a monster.
If you get raised at any point you’re going to have to lay it down most of the time unless you have strong reasons why to doubt your opponent. Remember that if they have second pair like you do they more than likely won’t check/call two streets unless they are very inexperienced, that is as long as you are making the correct bet sizes.
In the end, you want to tread lightly with your second pairs, especially against dangerous boards and multiple opponents. If you do want to try and still win the hand, make sure the circumstances allow you to do so without putting yourself in unnecessary risk.
By: Chris Iaquinta
