Low Pockets in a No Limit Game

In Texas Hold’em if you have a pair in the two cards that you are dealt they are called a pocket pair.  These pocket pairs are generally broken down into three types; low, middle, and high.  Low ranges from pocket pairs 2-5, middle ranges from 6-9, and high ranges from 10-A.  The way each of these groups are played are very different.  Today I will briefly explain how to play the low pocket pairs in a No Limit Hold’em table.  These hands often cause amateurs  many problems because they over play them and think they are more valuable then they truly are.

When you look down and see a pocket pair, often times you are excited that you already have a made hand.  The worst case scenario is that you finish the hand with a pair.  While this is true, when you get a low pocket pair, not much is needed to defeat you.  This is never a hand you want to put all of your chips in with because the best case scenerio is that it is a coin flip because the other person has two overs (cards that are higher than your pair).  There is even the chance that they have a higher pocket pair which puts you at a 4 to 1 dog.  That being said, this hand should be played very cautiously and with great discipline.

Pre-flop these cards should limp and maybe call a minimum raise.  If there is any powerful raise into the pot these hands should be running for the hills.  But if it is cheap enough you should stay in.  The flop is where this hand could be made either great, or a complete bust. If you do happen to flop a set (three of a kind), then you are all set and you should get some money out of your hand.  The chance of flopping the set is only 1 to 8 so most of the time you can expect to miss, and when you do it is all over.  At this point with a miss there should be 3 cards on the board that are higher than your pair so if your opponent caught any of that then you are dead.  If you have more than 1 opponent in this situation that you miss than you should really be out because you can almost guarantee that you are beat.  If there is only one opponent you could take a stab at the pot (try to bet at it in order to win it right there without showing your cards) but if your opponent fires back at you (raises your bet) then you have to be willing to admit that you are no longer good and you have to fold.  Many people tend to hold onto this hand longer than they should and this results in massive amounts of money lost with a very mediocre hand.

Play this hand tight and try not to see the flop for cheap.  If you cannot do that run.  And if you do happen to hit your set on the flop, then try to get the most value out of the hand because chances are you are good at this point.  This should be the only point that you are willing to put all of your chips in with these low pocket pairs.  Any other time, extreme caution should be recognized and a willingness to fold should be observed.  If you follow these simple guidelines you should limit your losses with these subpar hands.