effective stack: the smallest of the stacks involved in a hand. The player to the left of the big blind is called 'under the gun', as they’re the first. How to Play Medium Pocket Pairs Next up, we’re going to take a closer look at how to play medium pocket pairs. Let’s do some quick math assuming all players start with $100 stacks. Small pocket pairs (66 through 22) are more speculative hands, so they are best played as set mines when the stack sizes are very deep. For example, A ♠ A ♥, A ♠ A ♦, A ♠ A ♣, A ♥ A ♦, A ♥ A ♣, A ♦ A ♣. Pocket pairs are a rather polarizing hand in that you either hit the board pretty hard or you miss completely. 2. The ability to go all-in profitably with small pocket pairs when short-stacked makes them straightforward and easy to play. 9% chance of being dealt a pocket pair. In early position it is best to check and see how the others play. In Texas Hold ’em, a pocket pair means you were dealt a pair right away and, in many cases, can really get stronger with the flop, turn, and river. Tip #1: When in position, always bet for value This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. For pocket 9s, the odds drop from 18. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. Factor in that you can still lose even with a set. Pocket Twos have the best efficiency of all the pocket pairs because almost every hand has two overcards against it. In live 1-2, getting tricky with them and trying to steal (after missing) is usually a mistake. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. Tip #2: Use the rule of 6 and 3 to estimate your odds. You don't need to double up or stack someone EVERY TIME you hit a set, limping in for 2 bucks and winning a 60-100 dollar pot with a set is a great result. Tips for Playing Middle Pocket Pairs After Calling In Position vs 3-Bet Tip #1: After hitting a set on the flop, do not raise You’ve hit. Pocket queens strategy evaluation. A middle pocket pair isn’t the type of hand to get involved in a large pot. The Rest: 2s - 9s. 3. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. #11. For this reason, many players will refuse to play pocket pairs below fives. In this video you will learn how to play small pocket pairs in poker. (this isn't…Right now, your 5-card hand is a pair of Aces with a Jack kicker (A-A-J-8-6). Middle position gives players a little more breathing room to play low pocket pairs. Don’t Slow-Play Preflop, But Don’t Overdo It. The notation 22+ means you should be playing 22 and all other higher-ranking pocket. I’m a donkfish but i play them like my small pocket pairs, you are mainly looking for deep stacked big pair hands trying to crack ‘em . If you play King-Jack suited from the Small Blind when facing a raise, you should always find the 3-bet. This is a difficult hand for the draw, because. In Omaha Hold ’em, a pocket pair would mean you have two same cards in your. 340. Many players try to play middle and smaller pairs from early position. 1. In this case, Three Aces will be the strongest set, followed by three Kings, and so on all the way down to three Twos. The look on a new players face when he first sees a solid boat get beat by another boat… it's priceless. Against an Early Position raise, fold Queen-Ten suited. That’s the goal of this lesson. In these situations, the small pairs can realize their maximum equity by going all-in preflop. Online Poker » Poker Strategy » Texas Hold Em » Playing Pocket Queens. How to Play Big Pocket Pairs in Cash Games Big pocket pairs will usually be your biggest money makers…. The chance of being dealt a specific pocket. Tip #3 – If you have top pair plus a flush draw, always double-barrel on the turn. The problem with this is you’re out of position for the entire hand. Usually, it's not a good idea to call all-in re-raises, especially in situations when you play cash games, because there's a considerable risk that other players who go all-in will do so with big pocket pairs (often bigger than pocket Queens). There are two key situations where the value of pocket aces starts to fade: 1. For that reason it's OK to limp pocket pairs from any position. On this board, your normal bet size should be on the. 4-bet is someone else 3-bets. Facing an open, Pocket Queens is still extremely strong and you should always 3-bet. Early position just fold. Note: If you want to win at poker, you need a solid preflop strategy. What are Small Pocket Pairs, And How to Play Them? Small pocket pairs range from 2-2 to 6-6, anything higher is regarded as medium or premium pairs. Paired boards are great for the player who is in position. Limping should be avoided, no matter how tempting it might be to “set the trap ” or “ set mine ” with it. The deeper or larger your stack is, the more profitable it becomes to play small pairs due to the high implied odds on hitting a set. Still, most players get a twinge of excitement when they see a pair of pocket jacks knowing they're holding a top 5 hand. We will cover: What are Pocket Pairs? Pre-Flop Strategy:. It’s hard to play some of the smaller pairs for value post-flop as the lower you get, the more overcards and increased chance of someone beating you. If you hit your set you may get their entire stack. Same as below, the stack sizes are the most critical thing to consider with a baby pair like 55. In Limit Holdem low pocket pairs can be played in virtually any position without a 3bet. Set mining refers to the practice of playing a non-premium pocket pair passively preflop in the hopes of flopping three of a kind (a "set"). These pocket pairs generally play well against one or two opponents. You should play these pair cautiously from late positions. Aggressively playing low pairs out of position requires you to have an excellent reading of your opponents and preferably a tight reputation. In this vlog, I quickly discuss what to consider before entering the pot with small pocket pairs, such as stack sizes, overall aggression of the table, as we. Once you get a set, playing passively is the last thing you want to do. So on the flop a pair of jacks must be played aggressively to weed out players. For example, if you’re holding a pair of jacks and there’s a jack on the board, then you have three-of-a-kind, but more specifically, you have a set. If we miss our set, we check/fold. Don't play small pocket pairs in multiway pots, as in multiway (3+ players on the flop) the chance of someone hitting a set too is higher. For example, you have on . Pocket 7s down are pretty much set mining hands, unless the blinds are very high relative to stack sizes. , $240. Paired Hands (Pocket Pairs) Paired Hands are also called pocket pairs. With low pocket pairs, you may often hit a set such as a three-of-a-kind on the flop. However. If you miss the flop though, then you small pocket pair should be folded. Many beginners. If I have Aj, KJ, QJ or any jack im raising Any 7. In the game of poker, players are often looking for strong starting hands to have an advantage over their opponents. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. For example, let’s compare an 8♠ 8♣ 6♦ flop with a K♠ K♥ 8♥ flop. Unfortunately, there’s no easy explanation on how to play Pocket Jacks preflop. Certainly, hands like 2-2 to 5-5 should be folded to any LP raise. Therefore, playing high pocket pairs properly pre-flop and eliminating the limpers is crucial to setting up post-flop play. How to Play Aces. Because of this, you should always raise with Pocket Sevens preflop when the action folds to you, regardless of your position. After the flop you need to put your opponent on a range and analyze the strength of your hand before deciding how to proceed. As mentioned, it all depends on the situation when playing Texas Hold 'em. Four of a Kind: 0. Hitting your set and then having it hold up. 1. If u have a set and villain has premium hand turned top pair top kicker youre stacking him. To increase pot size while having the most equity. Instead, your strategy should be to scare the opponents into folding, even if it requires a bit of bluffing. How To Play Big Pocket Pairs. The other important notation you’ll often see is “+”, which can mean different things depending on what hand it’s attached to. 1. Fair strategy, but. For example, if you’re holding a pair of jacks and there’s a jack on the board, then you have three-of-a-kind, but more specifically, you have a set. However, as always, poker is a complex game with exceptions to general rules. Photo by Hassan Khalid. Still, most players get a twinge of excitement when they see a pair of pocket jacks knowing they're holding a top 5 hand. Set mining refers to the practice of playing a non-premium pocket pair passively preflop in the hopes of flopping three of a kind (a "set"). Once you play online higher stakes, stealing with Pocket Pairs becomes necessary to show a profit. The ABC way to play this hand is to open with a raise. 5. Good understanding of what are the odds when playing small pocket pairs in various scen. And combination of hearts and straight cards and possible over pairs. The other important notation you’ll often see is “+”, which can mean different things depending on what hand it’s attached to. In this strategy guide, we will discuss the best ways to play pocket pairs in different situations and how to maximize their potential. 2. The predominant concept of playing any mediocre pocket pair is ‘Win More/Lose Less’. For example, 7-7 vs J-10, with the final board coming Q-9-8-7-2 (even making a set of sevens on the turn didn't save the pocket pair) A flush. Another time when it makes sense to bluff with low pocket pairs is when you can’t find enough natural bluffs on the river. How to Play Low Pocket Pairs in Middle Position. If you want to learn how to play specific starting hands like a pro, read one of the articles below. Tip #3: If the board is paired, always fire a c-bet. There are 6 different ways to form a. An example: We have either JJ or QQ and are in late or mid position. 9% chance of being dealt a pocket pair. It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Danger pairs play a lot like middle pairs, but will occasionally hold their own against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8. Playing small pairs incorrectly is one of the biggest mistakes that less experienced players make. But if you do choose to play a pocket pair passively before the flop by calling a raise, be sure to. Pocket pairs can also suck out and make full houses. Believe it or not, pocket eights is one of the top 6% of starting hands when it comes to winning possibilities. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. The problem is that you’re risking a lot of money upfront, only to concede it a large majority of time postflop. It’s one of the best feelings in the game of Texas. This does not apply in Omaha and a lot of Hold'Em players do not understand this. Additionally, you can get in cheap and end up winning the pot. Small pocket pairs can be very profitable in poker because they can flop a set. If your table is very passive or the rake is. Have an overpair to the board (your pocket pair is better than all the cards on the flop). If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. Want to master Microsoft Excel and take your work-from-home job prospects to the next level? Jump-start your career with our Premium A-to. Against a 3-Bet. If you face a raise when seated in one of these positions, King-X suited hands are simply too weak to play. Many times, though, Pockets Kings are forced to see a flop. To better understand Pocket Jacks, let’s use Flopzilla Pro to examine how this hand interacts across all possible flop scenarios. Small pocket pairs will flop a set roughly one in eight flops, or approximately 12% of the time. 8824% or 1 : 16. Before you get too excited when getting a pair during a poker game , read this article through because it is going to open your eyes to a few unpleasant aspects. This can make small pocket pairs real bankroll boosters because they give you great implied odds. If you play the hand hard and fast you will lose a big pot against anything other than an overplayed top pair. From the Big Blind. 5% of the time (1/8) , which means you’ll need at least 7:1 pot-odds to call opening raises. This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. How to play with pairs on hand? How many times to raise, for example, with pairs smaller than 10/10? Forum. In this video we are going to talk about how to play with low pocket pairs on the pre-flop. The chance that you're opponent may fold increasing the profit from playing this hand considerably. Unlike small pairs, which you usually play for their set value, or big hands that are played for their face value, suited connectors are somewhere in between, and this leads to many complicated postflop spots. I like to raise the low PP's (22-55) in EP some 60-70% of the time and play them just as I would any big pair. So, the chance of being dealt a pocket pair is 78/1326 = 5. Whether it’s in a single raised pot (SRP) or 3bet+ pot, and for lesser experienced. Medium to small pocket pairs can win you money in 3 ways: You can make a set and win a lot from someone who made a good but worse hand. Medium pocket pairs have some commonality with small pocket pairs, which usually need help to prevail at a showdown. To compensate for the lack of information when opening first, you should stick to a tight range of strong hands, including high-pocket pairs, suited aces, and suited broadway hands, to maximize your chances of winning the pot. Most of the time you should limp in full ring games, though you can vary your play by raising about 20% of the time when no one has opened the pot. All pocket pairs can be danger hands, but small pairs are especially so. Pocket pairs are a rather polarizing hand in that you either hit the board pretty hard or you miss completely. Jacks are technically the better pre-flop hand versus any two random cards but jacks also have an unfortunate habit of losing massive. With a pocket pair JJ to play better against one or two opponents. When you have a chance to bet, you can increase the size of the pot to your desire. If you hold a pocket pair and get the third matching card from the board, that’s called a set. You should always fold them right away. Strengthen your poker skills and build your bankroll with this video demonstration. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. Against a single player with a random hand, you win 85% of the time, which equates to an $85 profit. ). I’m pretty new to poker and really wouldn’t go by anything I say, but it’s implied odds your shooting for, late position call or 3! Fold to 4!. In the instances where your Pocket Jacks have a smaller pair dominated, you always have to worry about those pesky, sneaky sets. Firstly you need to be aware that you’ll only hit a set on the flop 12. Texas hold ’em pocket card nicknames. Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible. It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. When you have a strong hand in poker, you should almost always lean towards fast-playing to build the pot ASAP. Lock your seat now! The Advanced Solver Ranges for cash games — one of six sets of preflop charts in the Upswing Lab. Pocket pairs in Omaha are a good hand, but not nearly as valuable as in Texas Hold'em. In this article, we’ll try to dissect the strategy behind playing pocket pairs in poker. If your opponent is holding something like a pair of 4s, eight-seven or six-five, they could squeeze. You know how good it feels to look down and see. Being the one who initiates the action, or someone who follows, determines how to enter a hand. The best, in this case, is when you flop your low pocket pair set. For the purpose of this I'm going to consider small pocket pairs as 22-66, and 22 will play differently than 66 in many situations and I'll try to make notes when I think this will specifically come into play, but generally I feel this is the best way to categorize them. In sum, play the fit or fold for cheap, unless you hit your. For this reason, you should always raise with this hand preflop when the action folds to you, regardless of your position. To help you understand the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em and how to take advantage of your good fortune. Know this, though, there’s a roughly 12 per cent chance another player will be dealt a. 888poker investigates how often you should be playing them and whether to raise, call or fold. In Omaha Hold ’em, a pocket pair would mean you have two same cards in your hand. 2. This first rule is something you should immediately apply to your game. Here are some sample probabilities for most pre-flop situations:In this set-up, each player starts with 75 BBs, so you can generally afford to play more speculative hands (e. You want to lean toward betting whether you hit the Queen or the Ten top pair. In almost all circumstances getting all-in pre. Pocket jacks, the nightmare of almost everyone who dared to play some poker. It is essential to evaluate the playing field and see if the raise would be beneficial by thinning out the field. Note: Do not play another hand without this $7 Postflop Playbook! With such a low price tag,. So don’t play aces this way all the time. #13. Particularly in Texas Hold’em poker, the position at every hand is key in making a strategic decision. That is a lot of good fortune all in one. These outcomes include: Having enough opponents to supply the correct pot odds. Strong pocket pairs are premium hands in no-limit Texas hold’em, meaning they are the best possible starting hands you can get preflop. 45% of the time. See moreThere are many ways to play pocket pairs in No-Limit Hold’em, but only a few are correct, and knowing the difference between the right way and the wrong way is going to save you money. Such plays should be avoided because winning real money — not temporary chips — is your goal as a tournament player. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. The Rest: 2s - 9s. In general, a pocket pair refers to a hand in which you have two matching cards, more commonly known as a pair. Since a Set is stronger than a Straight in this variant, you should play pocket pairs more aggressively and not be afraid to call 3-bets with any pocket pair. . 3 tips for playing this small pair when you are the preflop caller. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. At a six-handed table, however, the odds another player has a higher pocket pair are reduced to 16. No matter what. Learn to play these spots correctly, and stop making big e. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. Pocket pairs are excellent starting hands in Hold’em due to their ability to flop a set (three of a kind). Ace-king has an interesting relationship with pocket jacks. Hands like suited connectors and all pocket pairs rise in value. I know there is no perfect, guaranteed, positive, all encompassing answer on how to play small to medium pocket pairs, and I have tried various strategies from Jamming pre to limping and other. 1. It depends on the type of the game, your position and stack. . According to PokerSnowie, you can only call such a raise with JJ or better. Knowing the above information, we can then do some basic math to determine the likelihood of getting certain combinations of hole cards. One of the ideal scenarios when playing Kings is when you’re opponent hits a Queen or Jack on the flop, with a strong kicker. A “pocket pair” is a pair that a player possesses in his beginning hand in a Hold’em game. When someone plays back, I can fold without any real worries. Tom’s check is best here even though he has all the pocket pairs up to Aces in his. Add a second player with another pocket pair to the hand and your chance at losing the pot doubles. Whether it’s in a single raised pot (SRP) or 3bet+ pot, and for lesser experienced. Poker is a game of skill and strategy, where players aim to make the best hand possible and win the pot. Pocket pairs are a favorite type of hand for many players. 33 and 22 are small pocket pairs. It sure looks like a premium hand, but it’s essentially a mid-sized pocket pair. Medium pocket pairs have some commonality with small pocket pairs, which usually need help to prevail at a showdown. Pocket Tens. Sets will hold up versus a premium pair like kings or aces roughly 90% of the time, which are some of. Being able to join a limp fest versus being raised. 1. Counting Combos: Pocket Pairs Let's try one. Small pocket pairs will flop a set roughly one in eight flops, or approximately 12% of the time. You can either open the pot 4xBBs or you can limp. Fast play your sets most of the time by betting/raising. But if the a player squeezed to a very small size, say 2. Playing underpairs optimally can help you make more money in the long run. Playable in any position - Stronger opening bets mixed with limps or calls, Play this one fast if you are ahead on the flop. Factors influencing the value of small pairs . But you shouldn’t always just check and fold with an underpair. But this will require playing your position well pre-flop, and that will also include using whatever knowledge you possess of the playing styles. e. The comparative looseness or tight playing styles from opponents who re-raise will give you a lot of. Usually, it's not a good idea to call all-in re-raises, especially in situations when you play cash games, because there's a considerable risk that other players who go all-in will do so with big pocket pairs (often bigger than pocket Queens). 20 poker hands odds and poker statistics you should know to improve your game. 22-66 Fold 77-99 Raise to standard for table, figure out how deep you are to see if you can profitably set-mine if 3-bet, fold to 4-bet. I normally play Pocket Pairs strong and 3X or even 4X with them but I also have to decide after the flop whether to call, fold or raise depending on position of my opponent. 7 percent. When your two hole cards in Texas Hold’em make a pair, you hold a “pocket pair. There are only 3 higher pocket pairs so you can expect to have the best hand before the flop most of the time you’re dealt them. Set strategy and how to play small pocket pairs. 1. 3 Tips for Pocket Sixes in 3-Bet Pots as the Preflop Caller Tip #1: If you have a middling pair and a backdoor flush draw, call even if the bet is large. With Q ♦ J ♦, we have 6 outs to make a pair that might be good, and can pick up equity with any ace, ten, nine, or diamond. 1 out of 13 times, your second card will provide you with the most powerful preflop starting hand in Hold’em! Peeling the second card, you see the emergence of a diagonal outline. It is pre-flop 4:1 favorite over any other hands. The one hand that gives beginners more trouble than ace-king or even ace-queen has to be pocket jacks. Facing A Cold-3Bet With Pocket Tens. 2. When you flop a strong hand, as you usually will with aces, you generally want to fast-play in order to build the pot as fast as possible. They come round roughly 1 in 220 times and should be one of the most profitable hands for you. Once you play online higher stakes, stealing with Pocket Pairs becomes necessary to show a profit. Low-pocket pairs are good for making a set and winning a big pot by cracking an overpair; they’re very tough to play when you don’t make a set, and you’ll either have. Sep 4, 2020. Categorizing Pocket Pairs and How to Play Them. low pairs are only useful is the flop brings the. Low pocket pairs are fairly straightforward to play, their certainly a hand you want to play in position and not multi-way if possible. If you’re playing at a 9-handed table, you should fold it from the two earliest positions (UTG and UTG+1 in the graphic below). Pocket queens should be one of your absolute biggest winnings hands. How to Play QQ, KK, AA – New No Bullshit 6-max 14. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. When you are fortunate enough to get them you need to know what to do with them. Most of the value in small pocket pairs comes from when they flop a set, which will only happen 11. The tighter your opponent’s 3-betting range is, the more pocket pairs you should call with. If you hit a set then you should play your hand very aggressively. For example, If there are two people limping in from early position and you find yourself sitting in hijack with 33, limping along is simply the best way to play the hand if you have a fairly deep stack, which we’ll take as a given for the purposes of this guide. They have very little potential, but if the right cards open on the flop, you can win big. This applies to almost all hands you play, but especially to pocket pairs due to the fact that they don’t offer much flexibility on the flop, turn or river versus other hands. It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. It’s hard to play some of the smaller pairs for value post-flop as the lower you get, the more overcards and increased chance of someone beating you. Another time when it makes sense to bluff with low pocket pairs is when you can’t find enough natural bluffs on the river. You raise, the big blind calls you and the flop comes with 6 of clubs, 5 of clubs and 4 of hearts. 2%. A pocket pair is when you are dealt 2 cards of the equal weightage or suit. By Matthew Cluff. Tip #3 – Always c-bet with flopped top pairs. Pocket Pairs are strong hands but stacking off with the baby pairs can be risky as there are many. On 8♠ 8♣ 6♦, the optimal strategy is to c-bet around 50% of the time versus the Big Blind. First of all, if he or she has a small pockt pair, they are tended to limp in the pot and try to catch, and likely to fold to moderate. Similar to suited connectors, there are better ways than others to go about playing pocket pairs in poker. That being said, most players can’t help themselves and c-bet much. It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. Read about playing pocket pairs in No Limit Hold'em. We might speak of this situation — holding a premium pocket pair and facing a higher card on the flop — as presenting three possible courses of action, two of which. How to play pocket pairs. Pocket 7s down are pretty much set mining hands, unless the blinds are very high relative to stack sizes. In early position it is best to check and see how the others play. You’ll remember the times you got dealt A-A when playing poker online, but in actual fact you only receive them 0. Pocket Pairs (99-22) Pocket pairs make huge hands when they flop sets. Keep rolling until you “farkle” (run out of dice and lose your score) or decide to stop and keep your score. A “set” refers to three-of-a-kind using pocket pairs and “trips” refers to a three-of-a-kind using one hole card and 2 community cards. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. A “set” refers to three-of-a-kind using pocket pairs and “trips” refers to a three-of-a-kind using one hole card and 2 community cards. In all cases, if you don’t hit your set and are facing a raise, be prepared to fold. Use the pocket pairs table below to find out the odds of being dealt different ranges of pocket pairs during a game of Texas Holdem. Play Pocket Tens. In this hand we are in a classic situation at the micros with a small pocket pair in the blinds. Both have their advantages, by raising you’re increasing your equity in the pot, increasing the size and also giving yourself opportunities to cbet the flop. There is maybe a limper or two infront of us, or even a raise, usually to 0,25/0,30 cents. --- Latest Poker News at ---Middle position you can open, but I wouldn't limp or call any bet. Do not get too enthusiastic with small pairs. While a deceptive second pair, it is still a second pair four times out of ten and a weak pair once out of every ten times, resulting in a 50-50 chance of susceptibility to being outdrawn. Imagine a board such as after you’ve called a 3-bet with from the Button against the Small Blind. When they hit, they make big pot hands (sets, flushes, full houses, etc. Of course, the different pocket pairs you can earn can be split into different categories: Premium Pocket Pairs; Premium hands, also known as big pocket pairs, are probably the best preflop hands you can be dealt when you play poker as they are quite strong. The odds of hitting a set when holding a pocket pair is 7. Vs Hijack – Call A9-offsuit (folding all lower offsuit Aces). Here is how to play your small suited aces, the definitive guide! 1. 9. This means that when holding King-Jack suited on a or type of board, it’s a good idea to start building the pot right from the flop. They are both drawing hands that should be played aggressively before the flop. One such advantage comes in the form of pocket pairs. engjosh88 • 11 yr. See the flop and then act! Another way to approach pocket tens might be to consider your position first. I play em pretty much like any other pair. 5 Tips for Playing Pocket Tens Postflop. It’s very intuitive that Pocket Queens are a strong hand preflop since it’s a strong pair before the flop. 5. Trips and two pair are bread-and-butter value-betting hands. Mistake #4: Playing Too Passively Postflop. That’s a lot of missing, but the 12% of the time we. The medium pocket pairs are 10-10,9-9, 8-8, 7-7 and 6-6. If you can get in all the money before the flop, kudos to you, as you’ll likely be ahead of your opponent’s range. In these situations, the small pairs can realize their maximum equity by going all-in preflop. . Poker is a Game of Situations. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. The Basics: How to Play Pocket Pairs in Poker. These hands can be profitable when you play them from late positions. What this means is. Double-Paired Boards As the Preflop Raiser from the Button. Pocket Pairs (99-22) Pocket pairs make huge hands when they flop sets. When you hit a monster hand on a flop like or , start piling money in that pot! If you raised preflop, c-bet on the flop. 3. The thing about middle pocket pairs, is after the. These hands are. A pair of Kings is guaranteed to make every poker player’s eyes light up, and your goal should be to get as many chips into the pot pre-flop as possible.