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low-middle pair in ep?

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  1. jdro jdro is offline

    Los Banos, CA
    United States

    Posts: 695
    Joined: Mar 06

    Mar 24th, 2006 (3/24/2006 3:39pm)

    how do most play these? especially early in a tournament? like 44-99? is it usually fold or raise? or do most try to limp in and hit a set? thanks for any help - I have been struggling with this part of my game recently and thought it might be refreshing to get some opinions from the players on this site! thanks!
  2. jdro jdro is offline

    Los Banos, CA
    United States

    Posts: 695
    Joined: Mar 06

    Mar 24th, 2006 (3/24/2006 4:23pm) in reply to jdro

    was really hoping to get some opinions on this but it got bumped to pg 2 faster than I could say "thanks for that river card pstars." ::sarcasm meter on high::
    Thread Starter
  3. jdro jdro is offline

    Los Banos, CA
    United States

    Posts: 695
    Joined: Mar 06

    Mar 25th, 2006 (3/25/2006 12:23am) in reply to jdro

    bump? anyone on opinions on how they play low-med pairs dealt in ep? curious for some of the more active, successful players on this site like aaawnuts, actionjeff and any one else I am forgetting who are very active on this site, but those 2 just came to mind.....I know you have to play them differently frequently, but in general, what's the rule that governs your play in these situations?
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  4. dunit1003 dunit1003 is offline

    Richmond, VA
    United States

    Posts: 816
    Joined: Jan 06

    Mar 25th, 2006 (3/25/2006 12:33am) in reply to jdro

    I assume you mean in just a freezeout. In early position I'll sometimes raise with 7s or higher. Most of the time I am folding or limping. Again this all depends on your stack size, table image, etc. If I have a tight table image, then I might even raise with 4s UTG. Most of the time my purpose with playing these hands is to flop a set or make a semi-bluff. If I don't flop the set with one opponent after raising preflop I'll usually make a continuation bet. A lot of my play is contingent upon my chip stack, image, and whether or not the table is loose or tight. With a tight table I'm raising with a lot of hands, and this includes pretty much all pocket pairs. Also, sometimes with the big stack at the table I will be raising a lot of hands these included. Hope this helps a bit.

    dunit1003
  5. sketchy1 sketchy1 is offline Dangerzone

    Posts: 9,597
    Joined: Apr 05

    Mar 25th, 2006 (3/25/2006 12:36am) in reply to jdro

    against weak passive opponents i'll usually limp to entice more limpers and increase the chances of doubling up if i hit a set. against aggressive opponents i'll likely make a standard raise from any position with most any pair, that way if i flop a set, my bet looks just like a continuation bet.
      

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  6. ActionJeff ActionJeff is offline

    Boston, MA
    United States

    Posts: 3,943
    Joined: Oct 05

    Mar 25th, 2006 (3/25/2006 10:45am) in reply to sketchy1

    I normally just throw away baby pairs in early position. There are lots of exceptions:

    (1) I am running over the table and have a monster stack

    (2) if it is the bubble and I have a few players behind me covered

    (3) if I am short stacked

    (4) if the stacks are deep and the table isn't too raise happy

    (5) I might open with a raise sometimes just to mix it up

    The bigger the pair, the more likely I am to play it instead of fold. I will limp a percentage of the time, fold a percentage of the time, and raise a percentage of the time. The particular table situation (including image and my chip stack), and the other players at the table are what determine these percentages.
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  7. sketchy1 sketchy1 is offline Dangerzone

    Posts: 9,597
    Joined: Apr 05

    Mar 25th, 2006 (3/25/2006 8:06pm) in reply to ActionJeff

    i think there's a TON of value in raising from almost any position if you have a decent stack when you are at a tight-aggressive table. especially against tricky players who might flat-call with big pairs.

    i have been playing sets more aggressively and the following hand came up... i could have doubled up but instead won a decent sized pot.

    it was early in the $150 and the table seemed pretty typical. not a lot of action so far and the stacks were still deep in the first or second level. i had 55 UTG and raised 3xbb, looked pretty standard so far. flop was J95 two spades. there were two callers and i bet 120 into a pot with about 300 in it, hoping it would look like a continuation bet obv.

    someone who had flat-called with QQ re-raised to 300 and i flat-called, planning on check-raising all-in on the turn. i didn't think he had a bigger set or a flush draw, since there was a player in between us, and thought he might have AJ or something. an offsuit ace fell which killed the action and hwe both checked. the river was a spade but it was small and i still felt 55 was by far the best hand so i fired 300 and got paid off.

    i think that playing small pairs in this fashion, especially w/ deep stacks and aggressive players, is probably the most profitable way. against a loose-passive table i will be more prone to just limp since most people won't get too cute after the flop with me. it's better in that case to get a set, and hope to trap someone who can't fold top pair.
      
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