How To Play Low Pocket Pairs In Sngs

[Bankrollme 0]

Recently I've been struggling with the correct strategy on playing pocket pairs 9-2, I've been getting into trouble with pre-flop raises with the flop showing higher cards, leaving me to feel insecure about my hand. Curious to see how yall choose to raise/call with these type of hands. I'm mainly playing the 1.10 45 man turbos on stars, along with the 1.20 9 mans. Any help is appreciated!

[Royal_Tour 0]

I dont know if i speak for everyone, but I find the term sng to be more associated with single table. and anything 3 tables or more to be an MTT, even if it is a sit and go.anyways, with that said, You're playing an MTT, and strategy here is pretty much the exact same as tournament strat. ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time.there isnt a set way to play 4,4. so you're going to have to buy and read HOH and HOH2 i guess

[knoxxxy 0]

In position i call with any pair if the price is right. I generally dont like to invest anymore than 3-4 times the big blind though, i just call and hope to hit a set. If you dont hit the set you can use position to steal the pot or just bet out if you think its the best hand, but if they bet out generally just fold unless you have a read on them. If theres multiple people in the pot thats even better because your offered more value for when you hit your set. Also the other people in the pot must have 10x what i'm investing to see the flop, so that if i hit the set they actually have enough chips for me to win a big enough pot to justify for me missing my set.I will sometimes play pairs 7-7 to 9-9 out of position depending on how aggressive the table is.

[HollywoodAFD 0]

In position i call with any pair if the price is right. I generally dont like to invest anymore than 3-4 times the big blind though, i just call and hope to hit a set. If you dont hit the set you can use position to steal the pot or just bet out if you think its the best hand, but if they bet out generally just fold unless you have a read on them. If theres multiple people in the pot thats even better because your offered more value for when you hit your set. Also the other people in the pot must have 10x what i'm investing to see the flop, so that if i hit the set they actually have enough chips for me to win a big enough pot to justify for me missing my set.I will sometimes play pairs 7-7 to 9-9 out of position depending on how aggressive the table is.

WOW! You're going to bet 4 times the BB on a pair of 2's? Where do you play and can I come?"ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time." <--- +1Personally...I hate low pairs in any position but if the table is weak... I'll play them. I aint betting 4XBB on them though.

[knoxxxy 0]

WOW! You're going to bet 4 times the BB on a pair of 2's? Where do you play and can I come?"ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time." <--- +1Personally...I hate low pairs in any position but if the table is weak... I'll play them. I aint betting 4XBB on them though.

I never said bet 4x the big blind.....with 2-2 i would CALL a bet up to 3x the bb in position, depending on the blinds though obv... if my M is above 20 and the opponent has a big enough chip stack (i.e 10x)Alot of the time i take this pot when he misses, or i bust him with a set."ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time." <--- -1That is correct but it doesnt answer his question one bit cos it doesnt actually tell him what to do....

[HollywoodAFD 0]

"ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time." <--- -1That is correct but it doesnt answer his question one bit cos it doesnt actually tell him what to do....

And I think it exactly answers his question by stating that there is no difinitive answer. How do you play pre-flop pocket rockets? THAT has a definitive answer.

[DCJ001 0]

I never said bet 4x the big blind.....with 2-2 i would CALL a bet up to 3x the bb in position, depending on the blinds though obv... if my M is above 20 and the opponent has a big enough chip stack (i.e 10x)Alot of the time i take this pot when he misses, or i bust him with a set."ways to play small pairs depend on stack sizes, blind structure and your position at that current time." <--- -1That is correct but it doesnt answer his question one bit cos it doesnt actually tell him what to do....

Actually, you said. "I generally dont like to invest anymore than 3-4 times the big blind..."

[knoxxxy 0]

And I think it exactly answers his question by stating that there is no difinitive answer. How do you play pre-flop pocket rockets? THAT has a definitive answer.

Very true....But i was more or less just giving him some guidelines...But yeah it generally takes alot of experience and knowledge to play small pocket pairs well...he was never going to learn everything from one thread.Bankrollme i also reccomend reading harrington on holdem part 1 & 2 like royal tour said, It covers this.

[knoxxxy 0]

Actually, you said. "I generally dont like to invest anymore than 3-4 times the big blind..."

Is this not true?you would invest more than 3-4 times the big blind with a small pair would you?That does not state that i will invest up to 4 times the big blind with any pair in any situation like hollywood read it as, its just a guideline that he shouldnt be calling any large raises with small pairs. Learn to read perhaps?

[Hiles Mall 0]

your both funny. accept that there are different ways to play each hand, and not 1 correct way.

[Cappy37 0]

Pocket pairs are all about implied odds. you are only going to be happy with a flop 1 in 8 times, but that time you do flop your set, you can stack somebody.The problem, of course, is you have to hit a set and have someone else hit the flop hard enough to stack off against you. Which is likely even less than one in 8.The more aggressive style to play them is to play them fast, and rep flops in small pots (preferrably 2 or 3 ways). That generates profit without having to hit the gold mine, and helps disguise when you actually do flop that wonderful set.Blind levels and stack sizes are important, too.. The later in the MTT/SNG you are, the lower your stack is relative to the blinds, and it's far harder to justify putting even 10% of your chips in play on a 1-8 prospect. This is especially true against a lower stack, where you lose your implied odds because when you hit they only have a little more than the size of the pot behind them. You'd actually be better off playing against deeper stacks to get the max value for the hand when you make it, yet these are the players harder to push off if you miss and decide to rep what comes on the flop.As always, these situations are difficult, with no real definite answer. I've been playing mostly mixed games these days, which is an excellent way to understand how repping hands, putting opponents on ranges, and playing boards/opponents instead of YOUR CARDS are how to profit in the long run. Holding 99 on a K82 flop is a good thing. Holding 88 on a JT6 flop is a nightmare. About the only definite, especially at the micro-limits, is to stop trying to rep the ace, especially in mutli-way pots, because someone has almost always has one. lol.Play them this way:1. ) Is there action in front of me?2. ) How many to act behind me?3. ) How deep are the players to act behind me?4. ) How deep is my chipstack in relation the blinds and antes?5. ) What is my image?6. ) What is the image of the players behind me?On the Flop:1. ) How often have I been Continuation betting/Probe betting?2. ) Whats the texture of the flop? (suited cards, straight possibility, overcards, ace, etc.)3. ) If I check will villain bet with a worse hand than I currently have?4. ) Can he fold to a reraise?5. ) Can he fold to a bet?6. ) Have me and villain gotten to cheap showdowns playing small ball in the past?7. ) What hands have I shown down recently that villain may have noticed?Asking questions like this are an excellent way to make proper decisions in the middle to late stages of tourneys.And yeah, as always, read the Harrington on Hold Em series. Volume 1 is good for early middle stages, Vol 2 for late stage, and Vol 3 is mainly good for playing marginal spots against professional poker players in deepstacked tourneys. lol.

[onlyme386 0]

There's a good article on P5's about this, can't find the link right now. It's either annette or jennifear talking about this exact situations.What is said is that in general, with low PP you should call if it's less that 5% of your stack to see the flop, shouldn't call if it's more than 10% of your stack, and the in between ground is read dependent based on who is raising and how likely they are to stack off to you.

[Doug 0]

As a general way to play them which is +EV I limp 22-10 10 in micro sngs.This may not be the best play but it's certainly +EV just to set mine with them and flop it or drop it basically, and only do this in the first few levels. It takes a better player to know where they are after the flop and against donks it's probably going to be even harder because they can call your raise with any two pretty much.

[jmbreslin 0]

Cappy's analysis of the issue is excellent. Since I've been focused mainly on the $1.20 9-mans and (more recently) the $1.10, 45's (those babies are easy money), I can offer some advice based on my experience in these tournies.As Cappy says, low PPs are all about implied odds. 99% of their value as hands comes from being able to hit a set (this isn't quite as true with pairs as high as 88/99, though, because you can periodically end up with the best hand on an undercard flop against limpers and take the pot with a bet). That means your goal with these hands is to play them in situations in which the risk/reward ratio is favorable and the implied odds are good.In micro SnGs, you typically want to limp with these hands preferably in position with other limpers in front. Unless you've built your stack nicely you don't usually have enough chips that you can afford calling raises with low PPs. Calling raises with low PPs in shortstack SnGs is a leak, IMO. Raising with them is also a huge leak at micro stakes because you'll get players calling raises with all sorts of hands and calling you down postflop. It can be worth a try as a positional play (e.g., folded to you on the button w/ 44 at 15/30 blinds, you raise and then CB a caller), and it can work in 6-max SnGs, but you'll just be throwing away chips by raising with these hands in any other situations. If you try raising at a full micro stakes table, more often than not you'll end up facing 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5) villains with a flop full of overcards.In the early stages of these SnGs, I will only play low PPs if I'm confident I can see the flop for the minimum. I don't bother raising with them and I won't call a raise with them. I won't limp in EP because the chances are too great that someone will raise behind. If you're able to double through early, then you can open up your low PP game a bit.

[Sheiky 0]

There's a good article on P5's about this, can't find the link right now. It's either annette or jennifear talking about this exact situations.What is said is that in general, with low PP you should call if it's less that 5% of your stack to see the flop, shouldn't call if it's more than 10% of your stack, and the in between ground is read dependent based on who is raising and how likely they are to stack off to you.

That's the list where Annette listed what she'd go with each different PP UTG in loads of different situations right?

[Lucoo_ 0]

Ok its nice that a lot of people give very sophisticated advice on this, but mostly it isnt considered that it mainly involves 1 dollar SNGs. My advice therefore is to never raise yourself with these pocket pairs and see the flop for a minimum. Dont call raises 4bb or higher unless its a multiway pot already. On the flop, you just hit your set or check fold, since you are never going to get the callstations out of the pot.

[jmbreslin 0]

Ok its nice that a lot of people give very sophisticated advice on this, but mostly it isnt considered that it mainly involves 1 dollar SNGs. My advice therefore is to never raise yourself with these pocket pairs and see the flop for a minimum. Dont call raises 4bb or higher unless its a multiway pot already. On the flop, you just hit your set or check fold, since you are never going to get the callstations out of the pot.

Read my post above...

[onlyme386 0]

That's the list where Annette listed what she'd go with each different PP UTG in loads of different situations right?

http://www.pocketfives.com/BEB66C26-8D40-4...F11C131E60.aspxBut no, there was another article that I'm thinking of. Really pissing me off that I can't find it.

[Sheiky 0]

Well thanks for posting that link anyway, it's going in my poker bookmarks.

[onlyme386 0]

Well thanks for posting that link anyway, it's going in my poker bookmarks.

another one for you, if you don't have it http://www.pocketfives.com/63D83453-C054-4...E5488E083B.aspx

[Sheiky 0]

^Awesome

[Mercury69 3]

Annette_15 has a solid post about this on P5's. it really depends on current table dynamic (ie: stack sizes, blinds, aggression, position, etc)In general, folding/raising smaller PP's UTG and EP is best. Limping is a bit if a giveaway. In MP/LP, it's a similar deal, but more dependant on the action in front of you. If you have 99 and you're facing a raise, re-raising could take it down PF, but you could get re-re-raised and then what do you do?Anyway, there are tons of variables and no solid answer, as all situations are different than the previous one, so...play lots for experience and then you're instinct will help you out more!