middle pair

[miner_man 0]

In General,How do you bet when you flop middle pair? This sounds like a question a beginner would want to know, but I'm not a beginner. I understand that it is completely conditional and you can not give a simple answer. But what are some of the guidelines or rules you tend to play by?When I flop middle pair, I sometimes bet it and sometimes I don't. If there are more than 2 players in on the hand...I consider my hand virtually useless and i will check it off and fold on anything but small bets. If there are just 1 or 2 others in the hand. I tend to bet it regardless of my position. I also pay attention to how many players were in the blinds previously, if the only players that are left were in the blinds to begin with, its likely that they are holding smaller cards. I usually make about a half of the pot sized bet. Everything is conditional though, other factors might sway my decision.Do I play like crap? Or is this good?

[BiggestE22 0]

I play marginal hands in 1-2 NL, not in 2-4 or 5-10 which I also play. Everything is conditional, mostly depending on your feel for the other players in the hand and also depending upon the overcard that flopped. If the guys that are in the hand are loose players that like to play a lot hands and lets say your hold cards are j-10 and the flop brings Ac-Js-3d then if I am first to act I will sometimes come out with a bet that is 1/3-1/2 the current pot, lets say a bet of 6 bucks if the pot is 10-14 bucks. Many times you will eliminate all or all but one even if someone has an Ace (IF) they have a weak kicker . The thing is that being aggressive will win you many pots and lose you some. If someone comes out and re-raises you in such a situation you would probably want to fold, but again it depends on the opponent, whether they just call or reraise. Poker as you have been told is a game of players, not cards. So work on getting a feel for your opponents and also if your gonna play marginal hands, you need to be at a level that is comfortable. You can play more marginal hands in NL that you can in Low Limit poker also...Also mix it up dont play too many marginal hands. You will win most of your money by being patient and waiting for strong hold hands and especially with small pocket pairs that turn to sets on the flop and with connected and suited connectors that turn into flushes & straights when in late position and nobody has raised pre-flop...