If you haven’t already checked out the first two parts of this poker strategy series on small pairs, read Set Mining in No Limit Hold’em Tournamentsand Small Pairs in No Limit Hold’em Tournaments: Opened Pots.

Stack size is the first and most important factor in deciding how to play a small pair in a No Limit Holdem tournament. I’ve already gone over some ideas for playing small pairs when the stacks are deep enough to set mine. I’ll now turn my focus to play with smaller and sometimes more awkward stacks.

With around 20 big blinds, small pairs can be especially tricky to play in the earliest positions. I find it is often best to fold the smallest pairs from under the gun unless the table is generally weak-tight and a steal raise is likely to take down the blinds and antes.

Just keep in mind that opening 2-2 from under the gun is basically a steal. If you are re-raised by any player, you are unlikely to have the best hand often enough to take a stand since you are almost always flipping in the best case or dominated by another pair in the worst case.

The situation can be quite a bit different with pocket sixes after two players have already folded. For one, a steal is more likely to work since two players are now out of the hand. Also, sixes dominate the pairs below them. Aggressive players will often look down at pocket fives and below with 20 big blinds and under and move all-in, allowing you to call with even just 6-6.

The keys here once again are knowing your opponents and having a plan before you make the initial raise. Know who you are calling and who you are not. If a tight player who has folded every hand for the last three orbits shoves all-in after you raise, then it’s an easy fold.

If you are at a table with a lot of big stacks who can afford to flat your early position raises, just make it easy on yourself and fold the smallest of pairs. Playing out of position in these types of spots when the board is likely to have multiple overcards is a recipe for disaster. Your continuation bets are likely to get called and without hitting a set, it is going to be nearly impossible to know where you are in the hand.

Your table image is also a factor when deciding what to do with small pairs or any hand in early position. If you have a very active table image, lean more toward folding. If your table image is very tight and you seem to be getting respect from the rest of the table, going for steals is much more likely to work. Get aggressive, change gears, and take down a few uncontested pots. The keys are not getting carried away and knowing when to change gears back again to avoid spewing off tons of chips.

Once we fall below 15 big blinds, the question is usually shove or fold. However, sometimes in late position, raising with 5-5 and 6-6 with the idea of calling a shove is better. For example, say you are on the button with 15 big blinds. A raise-call can be more profitable than just shoving, as it allows a very aggressive opponent the chance to shove worse hands over the top of your raise.

Ask yourself what types of hands will your opponent shove that he might fold if you went all-in. If the villain has a very wide re-shove range that includes hands like 7-6 suited or worse, then consider raising with the idea of inducing a wide shove. With deuces, threes, and fours, however, just shoving a short stack on the button is not exploitable.

Once we get closer to 10 to 12 big blinds, I’m usually going to advocate just shoving all-in from most positions. Sometimes my image could get so bad that I don’t think I have much fold equity with a small stack and I will fold deuces and treys from the earliest positions with 12 big blinds, but this is probably the exception, not the rule.

When we get down to these types of short stacks, the amount in the pot just from the blinds and antes can increase our stack by 15% to 20%. That is enough reward to take the risk of running into a bigger pair or having to flip after an attempt to take the pot down uncontested.

This brings me to the topic of re-shoving. Re-shoving on early position raisers with the smallest pairs is usually a bad idea. The exception to this can happen when you have seen evidence of the raiser opening light or stealing from early position.

Ideally, we prefer to re-shove on mid- and late-position raisers with aggressive images. The later the position, the wider the range of pairs we can re-shove. I’m much more likely to fold deuces with 18 big blinds to a middle position raiser than pocket sixes. However, with the same stack in the small blind facing a raise from the button, I’m probably shoving all small pairs and much more since it is a lot likelier that the raise from the button is just an attempt to steal the blinds and antes.

The most important thing to remember when you have a small pair and are deciding whether to open, shove, or re-shove is fold equity. Taking the pot down without showdown is the ideal outcome for a small pair. Having the best hand or winning the flip the times we get called is the backup plan. Pick your spots well and avoid overplaying deuces and treys in early position.

Hope you enjoyed reading this poker strategy article. Feel free to leave comments and I will try to get to as many of them as I can.

Walter JLizardWright is a six-time PocketFives Triple Crown winner and a site instructor at PocketFives Training. If you are interested in lessons, please contact him via PocketFives PM or at JLizardTraining@gmail.com.