A009112 0 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Great articles , would also like to see advice on medium pairs 66-1010. Would you treat these the same as small pairs? Link to post Share on other sites
copernicus 0 Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Daniel,Do you suggest playing small pairs differently at different stakes? I definitely agree with the advice you gave for games 10/20 and higher, but i believe a slightly different strategy should be used at lower stakes (ideally 1/2 and 2/5). The live games I play at school are very loose 1/2s and when i go to the casino i usually play 2/5 which plays just as loose as the home games for the most part. At both of these games I find that raises of 5-10xbb are "normal" and usually induce at least a couple calls. My thinking is that if i pick up a "small pair" which i define as 2s-Js under the gun or early position, i'll raise to $11 (1/2) or $25 (2/5) and will likely get 3 or 4 callers. The odds against hitting your set are approximately 7/1 so with 3 or 4 callers you're half way to your odds preflop. Also in these games the stacks tend to be fairly deep (3-500xbb about the norm) so when the villian spikes his ace with a good kicker and i hit my set i'm golden.This isnt much different than he is saying. If you get 3 or 4 callers then you are 4 or 5 handed and he says go for it at 5 handed, and obv its not a bright line, it depends on how loose the table is post flop. Halfway to your odds does you no good if you dont get any action post flop. Also the odds against hitting your set are 8.3:1 not 7:1. The odds against hitting your set or better are 7.5:1, and of course the problem with the "or better" hands is that they involve a pair on the flop which are much harder to get paid off with, so they actually reduce your equity vs just hitting the set (unless you happen to be up against a hand that hits trips when you hit your boat). Pairs on the board may also inhibit drawing hands from giving you as much action, and those are the hands that pay you off the most when you do hit your set. Link to post Share on other sites
Ausdoz 0 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 honestly this is an instant fold.There are so many hands that can beat you on the flop. Link to post Share on other sites
speedz99 145 Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 Go on... Link to post Share on other sites
Sharon Stone 0 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Well you've probably seen the banners on FCP, Daniel's new book "Power Hold'em Strategy" has finally arrived. Look for it in stores or get your copy online today.-------------------Sharon StoneConnecticut Drug Addiction Link to post Share on other sites
Austnes 0 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Bling--Bling 75 hereI Agree w/ DanielMe to. I woundt play small pairs or middlepairs in anyflopp. Link to post Share on other sites
strappazon 0 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Sorry to bump an old thread...I completly agree with Daniel except for :"A better texture would look something like Q-Q-3 or K-7-2.""What if i raise with a small pair and the other guy call with Q or K ? Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Daniel,Do you suggest playing small pairs differently at different stakes? I definitely agree with the advice you gave for games 10/20 and higher, but i believe a slightly different strategy should be used at lower stakes (ideally 1/2 and 2/5). The live games I play at school are very loose 1/2s and when i go to the casino i usually play 2/5 which plays just as loose as the home games for the most part. At both of these games I find that raises of 5-10xbb are "normal" and usually induce at least a couple calls. My thinking is that if i pick up a "small pair" which i define as 2s-Js under the gun or early position, i'll raise to $11 (1/2) or $25 (2/5) and will likely get 3 or 4 callers. The odds against hitting your set are approximately 7/1 so with 3 or 4 callers you're half way to your odds preflop. Also in these games the stacks tend to be fairly deep (3-500xbb about the norm) so when the villian spikes his ace with a good kicker and i hit my set i'm golden.If I pick up one of these hands in late position I play it about the same. My goal is to build a big pot that weak players can't get away from with a hand like top pair/good kicker when i make a set. Only in the rare event that there is a lone limper or just the blinds left will i raise slightly more to try to take it down right there, and if somebody does get stubborn i have the chance to improve as well as position and the option to continuation bet. Sorry if this was long winded, my question is basically if my reasoning is sound regarding my small pair play. I feel that it is the best strategy in these loose small stakes games in which a small investment (5-10bb) will yeild a huge return when i hit, and when i miss i have invested relatively little.Thanks!Phil How often will you get a pocket pair, and then how often will you hit trips when you do? It would seem like if you're raising everytime in the low stakes games you'd be losing money in the long run. Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Oh, your such a good player. You know it all don't you. J/K.... someone had to f$@k with ya. Seriously? Why waste the space with that post if they already play like that? "Hey thanks for the info, but I already knew it, and do it, so here's my chance to toot my own horn." LMFAO! Good job f#%king with the guy... You should do it some more. : ) Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 to much postive re enforce ment makes a dull boy this is a proven fact so Daniel what happen with Gus? Maybe tell us what the difference was? I know 4ofK is rare and reading lets you call more so put me up on this one can you ever? (is that a mistake or the expectation will cover that) I would love to here what if anything could come after flop a set thing, which is near common knowleg;What are you talking about?! Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 It's great to see you posting here Phil Hellmuth or by any chance is this Mike Matusow maybe? lolROTFLMMFAO!!! Nice! Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Great articles , would also like to see advice on medium pairs 66-1010. Would you treat these the same as small pairs?Daniel mentions that 6's are part of the small pair group in his opening post, and you have to include J's in with middle pairs. Link to post Share on other sites
DonMcCoy 0 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Sorry to bump an old thread...I completly agree with Daniel except for :"A better texture would look something like Q-Q-3 or K-7-2.""What if i raise with a small pair and the other guy call with Q or K ?"What if i raise with a small pair and the other guy call with Q or K ?"-Then you got the information you needed. Put the brakes on. Link to post Share on other sites
IaN "KiD PoKeR2" 0 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks Daniel. Good luck this year in WSOP! Link to post Share on other sites
051103 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 kidpoker2.....your name makes me lolz Link to post Share on other sites
CajunDragon 0 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 insert ass kissing thankful comment here Link to post Share on other sites
PokerPiper 0 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Great article very informative Link to post Share on other sites
drewlovesomaha 0 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Obviously, Phil Ivey plays small pairs much better than you Daniel. Just witness the 1st episode of HSP Season 6 - Everytime he held a small pair he flopped a set and had an opponent bluff into him. This is the optimal strategy on playing small pairs - please see if you can find out how he does this Link to post Share on other sites
pokerseeker 0 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The right point here is that you should try to choose spots to play your pairs when it looks likely that you will double up. While you'll have the chance to have a better pot odds and have to risk less in an unraised 4-way pot, you're also likely to get any action when you hit. Link to post Share on other sites
daveharvey 0 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 just flop a set with small pairs Link to post Share on other sites
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