And if you play against recreational. On this board, your normal bet size should be on the. This article covers: How to play Pocket Threes in common preflop situations. 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. How to Play Pocket Aces . What. In Omaha Hold ’em, a pocket pair would mean you have two same cards in your hand. No matter what the board reads, you are almost always. Small pocket pairs are a drawing hand. Consider how each hand fairs on the turn and river: With 4♠ 4♣, we have just 2 outs and no backdoor draws when we are behind. This means you have a 5. These low boards are very favorable to the caller, so the 3-bettor should check back extremely often (on some boards they should even check 100% of the time). Pocket queens. Pocket Jacks are tricky because they won’t flop an overpair as often as other premium pocket pairs. By Matthew Cluff. This is a pretty simple explanation though. I always have trouble playing low pocket pairs (55’s and lower) 9 handed. And so in this article I am going to show you step by step how to play your pocket queens more profitably. 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. 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. Try not to get too attached to the hand. So, the chance of being dealt a pocket pair is 78/1326 = 5. Pockets Kings are the second-best starting hand in poker. Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible. Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible. Depending on how loose or tight they play, various players will have varying beginning hand needs. Playing Big Pocket Pairs. You lose to AA, KK, QQ, JJ, any 7, any two hearts. These tips are for when you’re playing as the preflop aggressor. Having any pair puts you ahead of all. You can use it as a bluff when there are not many other natural bluffs in your range (straight draws, naked ace of spades on a three spade board, etc. They are actually very easy to play as 3bets. Pocket Pairs (99-22) Pocket pairs make huge hands when they flop sets. In live 1-2, getting tricky with them and trying to steal (after missing) is usually a mistake. For this reason, many players will refuse to play pocket pairs below fives. However, at a six-max table (the format for most online poker games,) low poker pairs become. , or one in three. Early position just fold. Pocket Tens. In summary, the key to playing with a pair of queens is to use the combination of your hand strength before the flop, good position at the table and judgment of the meaning of your opponent's bets and raises. You cannot call large three-bets pre-flop if you want to have a positive expectation. For a newcomer, some sage advice might. You’ll remember the times you got dealt A-A when playing poker online, but in actual fact you only receive them 0. Tip #1 – When you flop top pair with the 9 in a single-raised pot, lean towards betting on the flop and checking on the turn. You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. We’ll look. The chance of being dealt a specific pocket. You have to play heads-up in the mind-set that any pair is good until proven otherwise. 78%. 7%, or a 56. I mean you can play how ever you want, check raise, bluff. Another cash game poker hand for analysis including bottom pocket pair out of position and the question how to play them both preflop and postflop. 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. In other words, we're talking primarily about small. The whole concept of PLO preflop hand selection and hand strength is a bit more complicated than in holdem. In all cases, if you don’t hit your set and are facing a raise, be prepared to fold. Pocket Pairs are some of the trickiest hole cards to play. 3 Tips for Playing When You Hit Top Pair on the Flop with Ace-Jack Suited. 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. Facing A Cold-3Bet With Pocket Tens. A number of positive outcomes need to occur to enable your small pocket pairs to prevail. effective stack: the smallest of the stacks involved in a hand. It’s best not to turn your hand into a bluff and fake. These outcomes include: Having enough opponents to supply the correct pot odds. A premium pocket pair such as pocket aces is going to win you a small pot a lot of the time, but it can lead to trouble when you fall in love with the hand. 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. Tip #1: Play more suited hands and pocket pairs (and play them more aggressively) This is basically the opposite of tip #1. 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. When Q-Q goes up against A-K before the flop, there is a 57 percent chance the Queens hold up. Feedback is always encouraged!Of course, the more sophisticated player understands that pocket fives can often be a complex and challenging hand to play. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. Unfortunately, the odds of being dealt pocket Aces is 220-to-1 so it doesn’t occur nearly as often as we. Making a Fold. The more you play and begin to recognize the strengths of different types of hands, the. There are two main requirements for playing small pocket pairs: The opponents should have relatively deep stacks. Paired boards are great for the player who is in position. The Importance of Knowing Premium Poker Hands. Set Mining “Set mining” is when you call with a (usually small) pocket pair with the sole intention of flopping the set. That "set flopping potential" is what makes them play good in pots with four or more. With that in mind, the focus of this. Small pairs will almost always be up against at least one overcard on the flop, and when you find yourself all-in preflop, you will either be crushed or in a coinflip for your stack or tournament life. . We will have to fold to a turn bet on any non-4 turn. They should be raised from. 33 and 22 are small pocket pairs. Poker Rules; Poker Hands; Poker Games; Poker Terms; Online Poker with Friends;Pocket eights are to be played to do one of two things: trip-up on the flop so that you have a very good set, or steal the pot by managing the hand as if it is, or could be, stronger than it really is. How to play ace king evaluation. This gives you fold equity and generally wins you the pot on a. There's a reason for folding low hands. For pocket 9s, the odds drop from 18. In other words it's a little bit like set-mining apart from the fact that we have a chunk of fold-equity preflop too. 1. 0. A pocket pair is when you are dealt 2 cards of the equal weightage or suit. He has no ideas on the other players from previous hands, and he’s dealt pocket tens in the small blind. 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. When you are fortunate enough to get them you need to know what to do with them. Fast play your sets most of the time by betting/raising. Tip #1: When in position, always bet for value This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. Sets will hold up versus a premium pair like kings or aces roughly 90% of the time, which are some of. The odds of you being dealt a pair of pocket aces (the best starting hand in poker) is 0. 88%, or odds of 1 : 16. 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. Tip #3: Pocket pairs with a gutshot or open-ender should be check-raised very frequently. It might not seem obvious at first glance, but boards like 9♠ 5♣ 3♠ and T ♥ 8♣ 2♠ can setup some. Example: A K , K Q So despite pocket-pairs being low playability hands this is not the same as saying they are difficult to play. Many times, though, Pockets Kings are forced to see a flop. Playing underpairs optimally can help you make more money in the long run. Pocket pairs are a powerful starting hand in poker, and knowing how to play them effectively can give you a significant advantage at the table. If you look at the odds of flopping a set, you will be looking at a probability of about 8 to 1. This calls for passive play with your whole range, pocket aces included. 1. Knowing the above information, we can then do some basic math to determine the likelihood of getting certain combinations of hole cards. The rest of the pairs, 2s through 9s, cannot really be counted as premium hands, apart from in heads-up scenarios. How you should play small pairs is mostly dependent on your stack size and the effective stack size in the hand; that is, the smaller stack that can be put at risk. Naturally, the lower down the pocket pair, the less value it has. Tips for playing pocket aces. Pocket Nines. Pocket Pairs are the hands known to be the most exciting and trickiest hole cards to play because a player has both the options – winning big or getting wiped out. If you want to learn how to play specific starting hands like a pro, read one of the articles below. As mentioned, it all depends on the situation when playing Texas Hold 'em. To make small pocket pairs your winning hand, you need to remember that their strength is mostly revealed on the flop when you hit a set of 3-of-a-kind. How to play KQ, KJ, KT, in single raised pots as aggressor or. Pocket jacks, the nightmare of almost everyone who dared to play some poker. Another element to the math is understanding how often our small pair will flop a big hand. Playing Aggressively on Each Street. 9% chance of being dealt a pocket pair. What is a Pocket Pair in Poker: A Concise Guide for. How to Play. As long as theres 3+ ppl in the pot its great to set mine with. How to Play Pocket Nines on Different Board Textures As mentioned in the introduction, hands like pocket nines can be very tricky to play correctly, particularly postflop. 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. Always remember that. On this board, your normal bet size should be on the bigger side and vary from around 2/3 of the pot to 75%. Usage: Pocket Pair, Pocket Aces, Pocket Fives, Pocket Cards, Pocket Pairs Previous Poker Term: Pocket Next Poker Term: Position: Online Poker for a Living Online Poker Cash GamesWhen two pairs of the same strength play against each other, the winner is determined by the next-highest card (aka the kicker). A middle pocket pair isn’t the type of hand to get involved in a large pot. How to Play QQ, KK, AA – New No Bullshit 6-max 14. Small suited aces though are very powerful hands and they are often misunderstood. Stack sizes also dictate the value of your small pair. As relative stack sizes get lower, the value of suited connectors goes down, because their value relies on being able to win a massive pot and. Any Ace, King, or Queen on the board threatens to make. Learn how to play pocket pairs in an online Texas Hold'em tournament. Therefore, while playing pocket pairs you can win large pots if you play smartly and strategically or lose. How to play pocket pairs. Unfortunately, the odds of being dealt pocket Aces is 220-to-1 so it doesn’t occur nearly as often as we would wish. Obviously I used PowerPoint to help. 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. How to play pocket kings. Offsuit HandsSmall pocket pairs, 22–66, are great overlimping candidates in most situations. A player who enters a pot with one of these hands must recognize the potential of winning big or going broke, and be prepared to make critical decisions on later streets. 4) When you hit your set, play it fast. Limping should be avoided, no matter how tempting it might be to “set the trap ” or “ set mine ” with it. US Online Poker. This includes pocket Aces, pocket Kings,. Small Pocket Pairs are a Drawing Hand. Regardless of whether your top pair is on a King-high flop or an Ace-high flop, your hand is very strong, and extracting value should be your immediate priority. You should raise preflop with pocket Queens. Many amateurs fall into this bad habit because they are the #1 starting hand. Trips and two pair are bread-and-butter value-betting hands. Four of a kind = 2x (double) the 3-of-a-kind value. If no set and no cards over 10 flop. Besides the usual flush and. Never play suited connectors (98s or lower) from Middle Position or worse when you have 30 big blinds or less in your stack. Im finding this 10/1 implied odds is a load of rubbish, the chance of flopping a set is 1/8 i believe, now some of those times you wont win and you will probably lose a big pot, and the times you. With this in mind, the small pocket pairs will give you a good feel of how the game is going to progress without you rushing into mistakes that will cost you the pot. Tom’s check is best here even though he has all the pocket pairs up to Aces in his. Odds of Hitting the Flop When Holding a Pocket Pair: Two Pair: 16. How to play small pocket pairs 22-55 – New No Bullshit 6-max 13. If your opponent is holding something like a pair of 4s, eight-seven or six-five, they could squeeze. Pocket Jacks tend to play best in either multi-player pots, when four or more players see the flop, or heads up against one other player. Hey all I’m fairly new to Texas Hold’em and would love your advice on the following. Live Events 1. Q: How many combos of unpaired hands are there in poker? A: There are 16 combinations of each unpaired hand (4 suited, 12 unsuited). Do not slowplay. Middle position: 22-44: Fold 55-99: Raise to standard for table, figure out how deep you are to see. 1. But you shouldn’t always just check and fold with an underpair. Your opponent should bet very large here, like 75% of the pot. Here are some tips on how to play middle pocket pairs effectively:Here is the advanced pocket pair strategy you can use to start winning much more. When someone plays back, I can fold without any real worries. This is because you can expect to win much more when you do hit your set on the flop. 9-10 is tricky cause of the dumb dumb end of broadways . A2-AT Fold AJo: fold AJs: Raise - but it's the absolute bottom of my range here, and I fold to many 3-bets. Obviously, you need to be wary in a full ring, deep stacked game, but jacks should win you money in the long run. Pocket pairs. Tip #1: If you have an underpair to the flop, check back most of the time. A “pocket pair” is a pair that a player possesses in his beginning hand in a Hold’em game. Since flushes and trips increase in value, suited hands and pocket pairs increase in value. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. How to Play Pocket Aces. Warnings (play with caution) - Over cards on the board, possible straights, flushes, the board is paired. Playing small pairs incorrectly is one of the biggest mistakes that less experienced players make. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. ago. 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"). You sit waiting patiently for that big pair, and then BOOM: pocket Jacks! Now what? This page is going to be a collection of fun and interesting spots with big pairs, from pocket Tens to Aces, chock full of tips and strategy to win more with these rare pairs. That being said, most players can’t help themselves and c-bet much. That's a tight way to play small pps, but you're only flopping a set 11% of the time and that's really the only way to get paid off at least when you're starting out. Example: A K , K Q . don’t play low pocket pairs when short-stacked Unless you’re going to be shoving all-in, the value of low pocket pairs drastically decreases as your stack gets smaller. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player looking to refine your skills, understanding the basics of playing pocket pairs is essential. . 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. These pocket pairs generally play well against one or two opponents. For example, A ♠ A ♥, A ♠ A ♦, A ♠ A ♣, A ♥ A ♦, A ♥ A ♣, A ♦ A ♣. Paired Hands (Pocket Pairs) Paired Hands are also called pocket pairs. If we miss our set, we check/fold. Today's H. 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. When you have a strong hand in poker, you should almost always lean towards fast-playing to build the pot ASAP. If your opponent has two pair or something along those lines, it’s going to be hard for him to fold. The larger your pair, the bigger favorite you become. Playable in any position - Stronger opening bets mixed with limps or calls, Play this one fast if you are ahead on the flop. The notation 22+ means you should be playing 22 and all other higher-ranking pocket pairs. 78%. 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. Being dealt a pair of aces gives you the chance to win a huge pot. How to Play Pocket Nines on Different Board Textures As mentioned in the introduction, hands like pocket nines can be very tricky to play correctly, particularly postflop. 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. 7%. Pocket pairs are commonly described to particularly by their rank, for as “pocket aces” for a starting hand of two Aces (aka pocket rockets). There are two key situations where the value of pocket aces starts to fade: 1. Pocket queens should be one of your absolute biggest winnings hands. The Odds of Being Dealt Pocket Pairs. Well, early in tournaments, at most tables, I’d just raise. Against a 3-Bet. 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. Middle pocket pairs refer to pairs like 8-8, 9-9, or 10-10, and they can be tricky because they are not as strong as high pairs (e. Pocket tens can be a confusing hand to play. Pocket pairs are a rather polarizing hand in that you either hit the board pretty hard or you miss completely. 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. 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. Add a second player with another pocket pair to the hand and your chance at losing the pot doubles. Pocket pairs play decently well out of position compared to other hand types. In PLO, the 1/8 times you hit your set, you can still lose enough times that it doesn't justify playing it. I play em pretty much like any other pair. A particularly dangerous board with the possibility of straights, flushes or full houses. There are thirteen different pocket pairs (one for each rank) and six different ways of making each. Most of the value in small pocket pairs comes from when they flop a set, which will only happen 11. Q: How many combos of unpaired hands are there in poker? A: There are 16 combinations of each unpaired hand (4 suited, 12 unsuited). But if the a player squeezed to a very small size, say 2. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. One of the most interesting situations in poker is when a player has Ace King (AK) and faces a pocket pair. In these situations, the small pairs can realize their maximum equity by going all-in preflop. At a six-handed table, however, the odds another player has a higher pocket pair are reduced to 16. However in No Limit Holdem there are a number of things that should limit how you play them. How do you define pocket pairs? There is a 0. In live 1-2, getting tricky with them and trying to steal (after missing) is usually a mistake. Pockets Kings are the second-best starting hand in poker. 8824% or 1 : 16. 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. When the flop is Ten or Nine-high, you have a strong top pair that is very vulnerable to future cards. How to Play Small Pocket Pairs. Similar to suited connectors, there are better ways than others to go about playing pocket pairs in poker. A nice flop to c-bet for value with Ace-King. Pocket pairs can also suck out and make full houses. If you raise with these pocket pairs you’re building a pot with a weak hand. that betting dilutes the value of your hand and being otherwise. These top 3 pocket pairs are the best possible hands you can be dealt before the flop, and so you should expect to make a hefty amount of money from them throughout your poker-playing career. 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. Pre-Flop Probabilities: Hand vs. The following is a list of nicknames for pairs of two playing cards, usually hole cards, used in poker derivatives such as Texas hold ’em and Omaha hold. Set mining is only one of many possible approaches to take when playing small-to-medium pairs. CardsChat Freerolls. Pocket Kings and Queens are great to be dealt preflop in hold’em. Note: Do not play another hand without this $7 Postflop Playbook! With such a low price tag,. Early position just fold. While you do already have a made hand, I recommend keeping the pot relatively small preflop. For flushes on the flop assuming you have suited pocket cards and where you need 3 cards of the same suit you need to muliply the odds of each card being of the suit you need, not add them: 11 out of 50 = 22% for first card - multiplied by. Your goal is still to flop a set, but your post-flop play will. When they hit, they make big pot hands (sets, flushes, full houses, etc. If u have a set and villain has premium hand turned top pair top kicker youre stacking him. There are 13 pairs in Hold’em (22 – AA) and for each there are 6 ways to be dealt. Tip #3: If the board is paired, always fire a c-bet. Without going into the math, it’s simply strong enough to 3-bet as part of a linear range. A2-AT Fold AJo: fold AJs: Raise - but it's the absolute bottom of my range here, and I fold to many 3-bets. If we hit our set we play for value. The player to the left of the big blind is called 'under the gun', as they’re the first. Paired flops come in many different forms and the optimal strategy for each can vary wildly. You should focus on value-betting with very strong hands, as well as some vulnerable made hands if you have many of them (as it was in our second example). This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. The less opponents in the hand the better. TYPES OF POCKET PAIRS. However, many players make costly mistakes with small pocket pairs, like chasing sets too often. Factor in that you can still lose even with a set. There is maybe a limper or two infront of us, or even a raise, usually to 0,25/0,30 cents. If you called a raise preflop, look to put in a raise against a bet. Specifically, Ace-Ten offsuit is worth raising from every position at a 6-handed table. ). * *The solver elects to raise with some of these hands as a semi-bluff raises at some frequency, as I will describe below. 1. You’re going to come up against a lot of different scenarios when playing. Sets are often hidden and you can easily stack someone who has top pair or an overpair. Sets are considered extremely strong hands in No Limit Hold’em and are frequently strong enough to play for stacks with (depending on the exact board texture and stack. A: There are 6 combos of each pocket pair, meaning across 13 different card values, there are 78 combos of pocket pairs. Smaller Pairs. 12 hand combinations of each unpaired offsuit hand. In other words it's a little bit like set-mining apart from the fact that we have a chunk of fold-equity preflop too. Small pocket pairs: Small pocket pairs are the hardest hands to play and bet on. EV= 0. A pocket pair is when a player is dealt two cards of the same rank, such as two aces or two sixes. So, after playing millions and millions of hands at the micros and. If you want to go with a mixed strategy, then you should usually just call with Queen-Ten suited. But if you do choose to play a pocket pair passively before the flop by calling a raise, be sure to. 88%, or odds of 1 : 16. This is when you can win big pots. Give everyone 1 additional turn to try and beat the high score. Pocket aces are without a doubt the best starting hand one can be dealt in the game of hold’em. Suited connectors are probably among the most complicated hands to play correctly in Texas Hold'em. There are 6 different ways to form a. In this vlog, I discuss how to play big pocket pairs and when to consider 3 betting and flatting preflop. Pocket Jacks shouldn’t be a hand you get very attached to. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Single Pair Hands: This encompasses overpairs to pocket pairs below the third pair, constituting the other 88% of flop outcomes. How to Play Heads-Up: Any Pair. 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. 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. 2. One such advantage comes in the form of pocket pairs. Many amateurs fall into this bad habit because they are the #1 starting hand. Pocket Nines can be tricky to play, as they won’t hit an overpair on the flop as often as stronger premium pocket pairs. 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. Middle position: 22-44: Fold 55-99: Raise to standard for table, figure out how deep you are to see. We will cover: What are Pocket Pairs? Pre-Flop Strategy:. Same as below, the stack sizes are the most critical thing to consider with a baby pair like 55. 5. It is pre-flop 4:1 favorite over any other hands. These include two jacks, two queens, two kings and two aces. How to Play Pre-Flop: Pay Attention. How to Play Aces. In this video, we cover simple strategy recommendations on how to play premium, medium, and small pocket pairs. This is a list of all poker strategy articles that are marked as starting hands. For pocket 9s, the odds drop from 18. 2. Such plays should be avoided because winning real money — not temporary chips — is your goal as a tournament player. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. 10 out of 49 = 20% - second card - multiplied by. The more you play and begin to recognize the strengths of different types of hands, the. Know this, though, there’s a roughly 12 per cent chance another player will be dealt a. Open raising with pocket fours can be a good play, depending on your position and the number of players at the table. 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. Won plenty of stacks coolering others with straights/flushes. Pocket jacks is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em. 45% of the time. If it's cash game, you may want to play any pocket pair to hit the set on the flop. Read about playing pocket pairs in No Limit Hold'em. Unless you want to leak money with your low pocket pairs, you’d be wise to employ a more in-depth strategy. 1. The remaining 88%, you will be left holding a weak pair, often with two to three overcards on the board, and limited outs to improve. 1% – a drop of 52. 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. In the case of having low pocket pairs, the position becomes even more important and, as usual, several factors need to be considered. The flop is J♠ 7 ♥ 6 ♦ and the Big Blind checks. 1) Play small pocket pairs against deep stacked opponents. The key to this is knowing how people play pocket pairs. Certainly, hands like 2-2 to 5-5 should be folded to any LP raise. This can make small pocket pairs real bankroll boosters because they give you great implied odds. 3% to 11. These starting hands can be very profitable to play because if you are lucky enough to hit trips, if you play the hand well, you can scoop a really big pot. The problem is that you’re risking a lot of money upfront, only to concede it a large majority of time postflop. If you miss bets with these types of hands. You can play a much wider range pre-flop because the implied odds are so much greater. This means that you should try to hit 3 of a kind with your small pocket pairs on the flop. Let’s take a look at one such scenario: Example: The Button raises and the Big Blind. Always keep in mind that big pots are for big hands.