23 replies to this topic

[digitalmonkey]

What is the best way to play a pocket pair such as eights, nines, or tens in a NL Hold'em MTT or S&G? I've been raising a substantial amount preflop and managing to get a caller who either has me with a higher pair or has two overcards and of course manages to hit one. If I raise too much, I won't get any callers which is not really what I want early when the blinds are small. Is there a successful strategy to playing these pairs? I've actually had more success with two random cards (yeah I play anything sometimes) than I've had with pocket 8s.

[rollito]

i'd say early in a sit and go my strategy would be to just call with these hands preflop trying to hit a favorable flop...but when a scary flop comes for your hand it will be easier to lay it down and avoid a situtioin where you have a tough decision on every street as to what to do....especially in low limit sit and gos a lot of people will play any ace or even any face card and it will be hard to put them on a hand.....ideally i would want to call a moderate sized raise and hope to hit a set, then you can look to win a big pot against someone who feels obligated to bet the flop with his big cards no matter if they hit it or not....these middle pairs are the toughest to play in a full table so i'm more cautious with them....and wait until the table is a little more short handed to push hard with them.....but when the table is short handed ill push really hard pre flop with them because you prob have the best hand at the time

[Aces, Full, Mike]

If its early and the blinds are small, I like to limp or call a small raise with them and hope to flop a set. If I don't flop a set and there's overcards and action I fold.If its later and the blinds are more significant. I will open raise about 3xbb with them. If I'm shortstacked with less than 10 BB or so and I will look for a spot to raise all in preflop and hopefully pick up the blinds and antes.

[ghoti7four]

limp

[jogsxyz]

Eights are the toughest pair to play. Too strong to toss. Too weak to raise with confidence. They should be called exasperating eights. Raised, called you toss your eights. Everytime an eight appears on the flop. When you play them, they lose. When opponent plays them, he beats you. If I ever discover the secret to playing eights properly, I plan to not share with you guys.

[the_stein]

please don't limp in nl tourneys with 88-1010

[tekku7181]

[/quote]You cant be hoping to hit a set, you need to follow up your aggression post-flop, if you raise with 88 preflop, one caller, flop comes like KQ4 rainbow, you really need to bet it and follow up the aggresionIf your just gonna limp with a PP like......you might as well just fold[/quote]i dont think so..i like limping from ep bec ppl tend to fear a big hand therefore are less apt to raise but if you do get raised you can call and really cash in when you hit a set and they are still strong plus your hand is well disguisedi also like limping bec it invites many more people in the hand, which is what i am looking for if i hit a set on the flopthis way you risk a little to win a lot and still are ok with a relatively small pre flop raise due to implied odds,,if you limp and get reraised big, you just fold as opposed to having to lose all the money you originally raised with from ep when someone w/a larger pair comes over the top pre flop..your way is dangerous bec when you raise pre flop and get it heads up, now you are risking a lot to win a pot against a single opponent who probably has you beat and your implied odds and value for this hand go way down...i dont like putting myself in a position where i have to bet at a flop w/88 when theres a KQ on board and my opponent is showing strength

[MasterLJ]

You have to be the aggressor. If you lose the aggressor position, you lose the hand. If you're not the one controlling the bet, you lose.I raise heavy with pocket pair, then bet the flop if it's not too scary.The worst thing you can do with low and middle pocket pair is to call a raise where there are many callers. If I recall it's like 1 in 8 of hitting trips on the flop, that means that the only way you are going to stay in a 4-way pot is if you trip up. Well, right there you are losing money. You know that 7 out of 8 times you are going to fold (or maybe a few less) and you can only quadruple up at best. It's not a good bet.

[Emptyeye]

I have to agree with Eddie here.Be aggressive pre-flop, and bet the flop too. Obviously, if you get raised (And don't hit your set), fold, but aggression wins pots a surprising amount of the time in NL.

[tekku7181]

MasterLJ said:

The worst thing you can do with low and middle pocket pair is to call a raise where there are many callers. If I recall it's like 1 in 8 of hitting trips on the flop, that means that the only way you are going to stay in a 4-way pot is if you trip up

i disagree...thats exactly what i like -- many players in the hand w/a small raise is ideal bec ppl are beginning to get more pot invested and the overpairs will pay your set off returning you much better than 8-1

[tekku7181]

Emptyeye said:

I have to agree with Eddie here.Be aggressive pre-flop, and bet the flop too. Obviously, if you get raised (And don't hit your set), fold, but aggression wins pots a surprising amount of the time in NL.

ok so if you play 88 agressive from ep, what are you looking to do as far as a return on your investment??would you like to just pick up the blinds?are you looking for callers?? if so how many??do you always bet the flop regardless of overcards and how does this vary w/the number of opponents in the hand?if you get reraised pre-flop in ep w/88 what do you do?

[tekku7181]

if you raise from ep w/88, what do think the people that are calling you hold?? - remember en ep raise represents more strength than usual

[tekku7181]

XXEddie said:

would you like to just pick up the blinds? I wouldnt mind that, rather have hands like KJ, A10,.....fold rather than see a flopare you looking for callers?? if so how many?? there is really no answer for thisdo you always bet the flop regardless of overcards and how does this vary w/the number of opponents in the hand? if I raised, and everybody just called, most likelyif you get reraised pre-flop in ep w/88 what do you do?depending on the size of the raise, what position it came from etc, probably call or fold

i want hands like KJ and A10 to see a flop for reasons that have been stated and repeatedthere should be an answer to how many opponents you want to call(depending on what you are looking for to happen) your raise...i want as many callers as possible (bec of the way i play them and what i want to happen) therefore i dont raise again, i dont like putting myself in a position where i am betting into multiple opponents(now investing many bets into this pot) who have called my pre flop raise w/2-3 overcards on board -- not good odds in the long run

[Emptyeye]

tekku7181 said:

ok so if you play 88 agressive from ep, what are you looking to do as far as a return on your investment??would you like to just pick up the blinds?

Sure, but if I get callers it's not the end of the world.

tekku7181 said:

are you looking for callers?? if so how many??

It depends, but I generally don't mind callers.

tekku7181 said:

do you always bet the flop regardless of overcards and how does this vary w/the number of opponents in the hand?

With 0 or 1 overcards, yes, definitely. I was the preflop aggressor, and in early position, not betting postflop is effectively giving up that aggression and practically the hand if I don't hit the set. With 2 or 3, obviously, unimproved 8s are a bit dangerous, though I may fire out at it anyway and see where I'm at.

tekku7181 said:

if you get reraised pre-flop in ep w/88 what do you do?

Depends on the size of the raise, but if it's small enough, I'll call. Fold it to an all-in.

[Absolute]

First off Eddieif you are going to constantly call people here stupid you better no have holes in your own argument.now as for pocket eights, i don't see what's so difficult about playing them.Raise at least 3x blinds in EP to MP.In late position your play should depend on how many chips you have. There is nothing wrong in folding 8-8 to an early position raiser.as for this comment...stupider, If the flop comes 9 4 2 rainbow....youre gonna fold...HA No, if the flop is 9 4 2 rainbow, my fold equity is wonderful. That's the kind of flop you want with 8s.You cant be hoping to hit a set, you need to follow up your aggression post-flop, if you raise with 88 preflop, one caller, flop comes like KQ4 rainbow, you really need to bet it and follow up the aggresion no, if you raise with 8-8 and the flop comes KQ4, you really need to realize your fold equity on any bet is horrible, and you are probably gonna have to lay the hand down on 4th street if you don't have to lay it down to a re-raise.people need to stop playing 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 like its 10-10 and J-J.or you can keep playing it your way, and come sit with me.