The general consensus about small pairs amongst the experts that have written about them is that they are not profitable to play out of position. John Vorhaus refers to little cards as "poison" in his books and coined the term "LPOP" (little pairs out of position), an acronym intended to remind you that you are almost always committing a chip-spewing offense if you play them. Daniel Negreanu states that "In a typical ten-handed game, playing a small pair from early position simply won't show you a profit at the end of the year." For the most part, the experts are right on target. <READMORE>

As most online players know, low-limit poker isn't a "typical" game where a set can be read, and because players more frequently make errors like betting incorrectly, playing too passively, and calling too often, one of the adjustments that will maximize your profit at these levels is playing these small pocket pairs under the right circumstances.

Most starting hands are played the same way no matter what. Raising with QQ and folding 23o is standard, for the most part, regardless of the level of the blinds. Playing small pocket pairs isn't so clear-cut. It can be correct to raise, limp, or call in early position with a small pair. There are three different actions that can be taken, and at different points in the game, the action that is typically most profitable changes!

Today, I will introduce a general rule for playing in this situation:

The 5 and 25 Rule -

"Limp a small pair if your stack is at least twenty-five times the big blind. Push all in if your stack is equal to or less than five times the big blind, and fold preflop if your stack is in between these two values."

Here is the reasoning behind this rule:

Limping with 25x or more than the big blind is generally a good idea in low-limit play because the other players are much more likely to go broke with just top pair, should you hit your set. In addition, often when you are raised before the flop, you will have the implied odds to call and attempt to mine a set. When you do hit, your opponents who call too often are in deep trouble most of the time.

Some times when you should break this part of the rule:

- Early in a low-limit rebuy tournament where raises are frequent and often much larger than the standard 3-4x the big blind. Fold instead to avoid the poor implied odds you will surely receive.

- A very active table with a lot of preflop raising and reraising. Fold to stay out of the raise war.

- When the average stack is less than 25x the BB, because you are, in effect, only playing with the chips that equal that of your opponents when they enter the pot.

- When the average preflop raise is five times the big blind or more. You will have to fold too often preflop when they raise to make the call mathematically justifiable.

Pushing with 5x the big blind or less is usually correct because you are in danger of blinding out soon, and this is likely the best hand you are going to see. It's important to give yourself a chance at survival and preserving your fold equity.

Some times where you should break this part of the rule (in these cases, fold because your even cEV coinflip costs you $EV):

- When there are four players left in a SNG, and although you are very short, there are much shorter stacks than you left in the game.

- On the money bubble of a SNG with a frisky chipleader.

- Multi-seat supersatellites where only a few eliminations must occur before you get the seat.

Folding when in your stack is in between 5x and 25x the big blind is often the correct play because you have to depend on a lot to go well for you to win, and your ability to call a raise is now compromised due to poor implied odds.

Some times to break this part of the rule:

- Push with a few more than 5x the BB at a tight table, where you are less likely to be called with overcards or a pair that just slightly beats yours.

- Sometimes limp with 15-20x the BB at tables with two or more players who tend to limp aces or kings before the flop. This gives you plenty of opportunity to either have the best hand at the table or hit a set against these monsters.

- Limp along with 15-20x the BB when you have a limper or two in front of you. This increases your pot and implied odds, because if you hit a set, you're more likely to have someone come along for the ride.

So, as you see, there is plenty of money to be made using these guidelines at the low-limits. Of course, the situations get tricky when close to the 5x and 25x levels, so keep in mind that you will always have to pay attention to the texture of the table and how aggressive the other players are.

Good luck, and happy set hunting!

Jennifear

Jennifear is a proud Contributing Writer for Pocketfives.com and a Presto Award Winner for 2006's Most Valuable Poster, as voted by the readers of PocketFives. She teaches private poker lessons, and you can find the details at Jennifear.com. A discount on these lessons is available by supporting pocketfives.com by joining a poker site through one of their links. She boasts a 40% ROI in over 10,000 SNGs at the low-limits.
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