How to play pocket pairs. Middle position: 22-44: Fold 55-99: Raise to standard for table, figure out how deep you are to see. Pocket Pairs are strong hands but stacking off with the baby pairs can be risky as there are many. 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. The best, in this case, is when you flop your low pocket pair set. How to Play Pocket Aces. --- Latest Poker News at ---Middle position you can open, but I wouldn't limp or call any bet. Suited connectors are probably among the most complicated hands to play correctly in Texas Hold'em. So you’ll be flopping a set fairly infrequently but when you do you’ve got a very good chance of winning the hand. Each one is remarkably simple but effective. I always have trouble playing low pocket pairs (55’s and lower) 9 handed. 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 Low Pocket Pairs in Middle Position. Don't Limp!. . With 20 big blinds in an unopened pot, all the small pocket pairs can be shoved profitably from the button or small blind. The ability to go all-in profitably with small pocket pairs when short-stacked makes them straightforward and easy to play. 33 and 22 are small pocket pairs. 1. For an improved article-browsing experience, go to our primary blog page here and use the check boxes at. . What does everyone think an acceptable play is in the following positions: Small blind Button Under the gun Look forward to some discussion on this!Pocket Queens vs Ace-King Odds. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. Facing A Cold-3Bet With Pocket Tens. The reason for this is mostly math. Try not to get too attached to the hand. 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. 5x the original raise, you can justifiably call with your lowest pocket pairs. By: Search Advanced search… Advanced search…How to Play Small Pocket Pairs Correctly. Always remember to be aware of your position, the opponent’s. If no set and no cards over 10 flop. 78%. When Q-Q goes up against A-K before the flop, there is a 57 percent chance the Queens hold up. Fair strategy, but. Each time you get dealt a premium pocket hand you should be betting pre-flop 3-4xBBs plus an extra 1BB for each limper. Tip #3: Pocket pairs with a gutshot or open-ender should be check-raised very frequently. If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. The more you play and begin to recognize the strengths of different types of hands, the. This makes a total of 78 combos out of 1,326. It’s hard to play some of the smaller pairs for value post-flop as the lower you get, the more overcards and increased chance of someone beating you. The look on a new players face when he first sees a solid boat get beat by another boat… it's priceless. Pocket Tens. You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. It sure looks like a premium hand, but it’s essentially a mid-sized pocket pair. The Odds of Being Dealt Pocket Pairs. If we hit our set we play for value. Pocket Kings and Queens are great starting hands but playing them in a wrong way can quickly get you in trouble. If you face a raise when seated in one of these positions, King-X suited hands are simply too weak to play. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. Any raise and you can be sure there is an over pocket pair or something like an A-10 or A-J staring at you. Multi-way pots after the flop. Unless you want to leak money with your low pocket pairs, you’d be wise to employ a more in-depth strategy. No matter what. Search titles only. Pot odds and mathematics of hitting a set. The probability of hitting a set once a Flop is dealt is 18% compared to 12% in regular Hold’em. Once you play online higher stakes, stealing with Pocket Pairs becomes necessary to show a profit. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Let’s not forget that pocket Kings are a great starting hand in hold’em and will win you a lot of chips over the long term. For a newcomer, some sage advice might. For example, let’s compare an 8♠ 8♣ 6♦ flop with a K♠ K♥ 8♥ flop. The probability of being dealt a pair in Texas Hold’em is 5. Medium pocket pairs have some commonality with small pocket pairs, which usually need help to prevail at a showdown. This time, given that there is a very large ante, they should be playing significantly wider ranges than a standard cash game. The larger your pair, the bigger favorite you become. Many beginners. In Omaha Hold ’em, a pocket pair would mean you have two same cards in your. 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. That being said, most players can’t help themselves and c-bet much. Another time when it makes sense to bluff with low pocket pairs is when you can’t find enough natural bluffs on the river. effective stack: the smallest of the stacks involved in a hand. Factor in that you can still lose even with a set. 1. 3% to 11. From early position its completely fine to just fold or you can semi-bluff raise a small percentage of the time, I know low pairs make up a limping range for some guys but I personally don’t include them. Here is how to play your small suited aces, the definitive guide! 1. But, limping UTG lets you draw more opponents into the pot and. The low pocket pairs from 44 to 22 are weak hands that you should never play as a raise first in from early positions. Tom’s check is best here even though he has all the pocket pairs up to Aces in his. This gives you fold equity and generally wins you the pot on a. The problem is that you’re risking a lot of money upfront, only to concede it a large majority of time postflop. How to Play Pocket Jacks Preflop. A: There are 6 combos of each pocket pair, meaning across 13 different card values, there are 78 combos of pocket pairs. Pocket jacks is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em. They should be raised from. The best way to play pocket aces is to raise and re-raise with them before the flop. 5% of the time (1/8) , which means you’ll need at least 7:1 pot-odds to call opening raises. Certainly, hands like 2-2 to 5-5 should be folded to any LP raise. 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. --- Latest Poker News at --- Middle position you can open, but I wouldn't limp or call any bet. Do not get too enthusiastic with small pairs. #11. When you have a strong hand in poker, you should almost always lean towards fast-playing to build the pot ASAP. Take turns until someone reaches 10,000 points. Don’t get married to your hand. For example, for Pocket Aces, we would divide 6 combinations by 1,326 total combinations to see that we’ll receive this hand every 1 in 221 hands. , $240. Key Points: Fold in early position to a raise; call big blind and late position. Being the one who initiates the action, or someone who follows, determines how to enter a hand. Betting while having the equity lead (which you will almost always have as the preflop raiser) will ensure that you are building the pot while being the favored one. Hakon wanted me to look at a hand and he prefaces it by saying he was playing at a 25NL Zoom table. An example: We have either JJ or QQ and are in late or mid position. This tip works for a lot of strong preflop hands, but it’s particular important with high pocket pairs like tens. 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). The rest of the pairs, 2s through 9s, cannot really be counted as premium hands, apart from in heads-up scenarios. Pocket Twos have the best efficiency of all the pocket pairs because almost every hand has two overcards against it. Firstly you need to be aware that you’ll only hit a set on the flop 12. Any two cards of the same suit make a suited poker hand. The more you play and begin to recognize the strengths of different types of hands, the. 45% of chances of receiving pocket pairs in Texas Hold’em while. Have an overpair to the board (your pocket pair is better than all the cards on the flop). e. If we miss our set, we check/fold. The player to the left of the big blind is called 'under the gun', as they’re the first. Odds of Hitting the Flop When Holding a Pocket Pair: Two Pair: 16. In sum, play the fit or fold for cheap, unless you hit your. When the preflop raiser has fewer than 60 big blinds in their stack, you should be less inclined to 3-bet suited connectors, particularly low ones like 65s or 76s. Tip #1: When in position, always bet for value This includes both single-raised pots and 3-bet pots. So what this means is that every 9 times you see the flop with a pocket pair you should flop a set at least once. 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. 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. 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. Small Pairs. If we hit our set we play for value. It sucks when your pocket pair misses the flop, especially when you’re looking at three overcards. If you’re at a 9-handed table, the best baseline strategy is to fold Pocket Fives from the 3 earliest positions (UTG, UTG+1 and UTG+2). In all cases, if you don’t hit your set and are facing a raise, be prepared to fold. engjosh88 • 11 yr. This means that you should try to hit 3 of a kind with your small pocket pairs on the flop. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. Smaller pairs, also known as pocket sevens or lower, are made up of low-value cards, specifically 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6. Limping should be avoided at all costs, no matter how tempting it might be to “set the trap” or “set mine. 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. For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final board is K-J-7-5-2; A straight. Pocket aces are without a doubt the best starting hand one can be dealt in the game of hold’em. Pocket pairs are a rather polarizing hand in that you either hit the board pretty hard or you miss completely. The reason for this is pretty obvious—discounting the times you flop a set, the value of middling pocket pairs postflop tend to be, well, middling. Play Pocket Tens. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. Note: If you want to win at poker, you need a solid preflop strategy. 3 tips for playing the crabs when you are the preflop raiser. For this reason, you should always raise preflop with Pocket Queens when the action is folded around to you. Also, I'm assuming normal 100bb stacks but strategy will obviously vary. Specifically, Ace-Ten offsuit is worth raising from every position at a 6-handed table. Slang for pocket fours because the number 4 looks similar to a sail. So, after playing millions and millions of hands at the micros and. Tip #2: Semi-bluff with backdoor draws on the flop and prepare to bet big on the turn. They come round roughly 1 in 220 times and should be one of the most profitable hands for you. There's a reason for folding low hands. The medium pocket pairs are 10-10,9-9, 8-8, 7-7 and 6-6. You have to play heads-up in the mind-set that any pair is good until proven otherwise. Before we look at how to play your pocket pairs, it’s important for you to have an understanding of the odds – and your chances of being dealt various pairs. You should also be playing your pocket aces very aggressively after the flop as well. Pocket aces are without a doubt the best starting hand one can be dealt in the game of hold’em. Here are some tips for using this hand to your advantage when playing at your favorite online. Many times, though, Pockets Kings are forced to see a flop. You want to build the pot, but you shouldn’t bet too big and step outside of your range. When you’re in the Big Blind facing a raise, you should never fold King-Jack suited. Pocket pairs. 1. Flop a set (three-a-kind) 2. In live 1-2, getting tricky with them and trying to steal (after missing) is usually a mistake. If you’re losing with this hand over a lot of. I talk about how to play pocket deuces out of position before. Understanding. How to Play Medium Pocket Pairs Next up, we’re going to take a closer look at how to play medium pocket pairs. Sets or Better: Pocket Jacks hit sets or better approximately 12% of the time. It is also possible that pocket aces face heads up with another pocket aces. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. This means you have a 5. 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. This means there are: 16 possible hand combinations of every unpaired hand. The effective size of your stack is one of the biggest considerations when deciding how to play your pocket pair. By the way, just to be clear, I’m referring to the numbers 22, 33, 44, 55, and 66 in this post. A wired pair is similar to a pocket pair, except in five card stud it refers to a door card that pairs the hole card. If you’re playing at a 9-handed table, you should fold it from the two earliest positions (UTG and UTG+1 in the graphic below). Any raise and you can be sure there is an over pocket pair or something like an A-10 or A-J staring at you. The best starting hand in Texas Hold’em poker is a pair of aces, colloquially known as pocket rockets. Medium pocket pairs have some commonality with small pocket pairs, which usually need help to prevail at a showdown. Pocket Jacks will make an overpair on the flop only 43% of the time. How to play pocket pairs. 10 out of 49 = 20% - second card - multiplied by. One last thing to consider: you shouldn't only play small pocket pairs to set mine. 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. How to Play Small Pocket Pairs. 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. Conditions for Playing Small Pairs. ” Yes, you have a high pair in the form of two Aces, but you aren’t faring so well because of your low kicker. You can c-bet at a very high frequency and force a lot of two overcard hands to fold their equity. How to Play. . Small pocket pairs will flop a set roughly one in eight flops, or approximately 12% of the time. Set Mining “Set mining” is when you call with a (usually small) pocket pair with the sole intention of flopping the set. This video offers tips on how to play poker pairs of different strengths. If you miss the flop though, then you small pocket pair should be folded. Middle position gives players a little more breathing room to play low pocket pairs. How to Play Suited Poker Hands. It’s one of the best feelings in the game of Texas. Texas hold ’em pocket card nicknames. A “set” refers to three-of-a-kind using pocket pairs and “trips” refers to a three-of-a-kind using one hole card and 2 community cards. Pocket aces will almost always beat any other pocket pair. 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. This means that when holding King-Jack suited on a or type of board, it’s a good idea to start building the pot right from the flop. 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. Obviously I used PowerPoint to help. When small pocket pairs make a set, they should typically be fast-played in a deep-stacked situation. Against a single player with a random hand, you win 85% of the time, which equates to an $85 profit. If you play pocket Jacks in a tournament, you can expect players to call all-in in later rounds, even. 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. EV= 0. Analyzing situations when it’s worth opening with. The notation 22+ means you should be playing 22 and all other higher-ranking pocket. All top, middle, and bottom pairs; Most pocket pairs without a backdoor flush draw; All pocket pairs with a backdoor flush draw; All flush draws; Some double backdoor hands (like 7 ♦ 6 ♦). HOW TO PLAY POCKET PAIRS Pocket pairs is the most difficult hole cards for you to learn how to play. e. 86. How to Play Low Pocket Pairs. It must be stressed that aces are definitely not a hand to be slowplayed. Being able to join a limp fest versus being raised. This turns a small profit situation to a negative expectation situation. You should play these pair cautiously from late positions. Pocket pairs are a favorite type of hand for many players. Sep 4, 2020. 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. Your strategy is defined by two main factors: the strength of your pocket. In this article, we’ll try to dissect the strategy behind playing pocket pairs in poker. Firstly you need to be aware that you’ll only hit a set on the flop 12. Just remember this type of play works maybe half the time at best. If you’re dealt a pair of queens when you play poker online games, you’ll have the last of the top three best starting hands. They are both drawing hands that should be played aggressively before the flop. If you hit your set you may get their entire stack. 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. The deeper or larger your stack is, the more profitable it becomes to play small pairs due to the high implied odds on hitting a set. They’re made hands and you’ve got a big pair already, even if you don’t improve. You can raise in late position, but make your raises big. The optimal way of playing small pocket pairs has changed a lot over the years. About 36% of the time pocket jacks will hold up as an over pair, while 41% of the time there will be overcards that beat jacks with top pair. All pocket pairs can be danger hands, but small pairs are especially so. Pocket Tens. But this will require playing your position well pre-flop, and that will also include using whatever knowledge you possess of the playing styles. A small pair is going to flop a set or better about 12% of the time, which means it will also miss the flop the other 88% of the time. 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. When you’re in the Big Blind facing a raise, you should: Vs Lojack or earlier – Fold every time. If you play pocket Jacks in a tournament, you can expect players to call all-in in later rounds, even. Raising and Betting. Since a Set is stronger than a Straight in this variant, you should play pocket pairs more aggressively and not be afraid to call 3-bets with any pocket pair. Having any pair puts you ahead of all. In other words, we're talking primarily about small. 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. When they hit, they make big pot hands (sets, flushes, full houses, etc. It’s hard to play some of the smaller pairs for value post-flop as the lower you get, the more overcards and increased chance of someone beating you. In this article, we’ll. ago. You want to make sure that you get the most from the hand, so don't be afraid the build the pot by betting and raising. Pocket pairs are commonly described to particularly by their rank, for as “pocket aces” for a starting hand of two Aces (aka pocket rockets). The deeper or larger your stack is, the more profitable it becomes to play small pairs due to the high implied odds on hitting a set. Chapter 1: Understanding the Strength of Small Pairs . These include two jacks, two queens, two kings and two aces. Each pair has a total of six combinations. You square up your hole cards. You’re almost always going to see an overcard, and it isn’t always easy to know where you stand. Both have their advantages, by raising you’re increasing your equity in the pot, increasing the size and also giving yourself opportunities to cbet the flop. 3 Tips for Playing When You Hit Top Pair on the Flop with Ace-Jack Suited. When facing a raise you have to think about your opponent. It's a strong hand preflop seeing as how it's the 3rd best hand you can be dealt. Obviously, you need to be wary in a full ring, deep stacked game, but jacks should win you money in the long run. The one hand that gives beginners more trouble than ace-king or even ace-queen has to be pocket jacks. 5% of the time (1/8) , which means you’ll need at least 7:1 pot-odds to call opening raises. 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. Many amateurs fall into this bad habit because they are the #1 starting hand. Small Pocket Pairs are a Drawing Hand. Pocket Jacks are tricky because they won’t flop an overpair as often as other premium pocket pairs. 4. If I hit the flop hard, then it depends on the action of the table, but I usually end up with a big pot. 3% to 11. To better understand Pocket Jacks, let’s use Flopzilla Pro to examine how this hand interacts across all possible flop scenarios. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. In the good old' days of poker when edges were slightly bigger and players weren't punished for their mistakes as severely as they are today, the recipe for success with 22-66 was pretty simple - always raise first, always cold call, try to flop a set and get a big payday. Let’s say you called a 3-bet preflop and the board comes A-J-5 rainbow. Pocket pairs are excellent starting hands in Hold’em due to their ability to flop a set (three of a kind). 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. Pocket pairs in Texas Hold'em are very useful cards. Some of the biggest pots are created due to a pocket pair's 'hidden' attribute in a. In Limit Holdem low pocket pairs can be played in virtually any position without a 3bet. low pairs are only useful is the flop brings the. Flop c-betting range: Sets, two pairs, most top pairs, 2 nd pairs, 3 rd pairs, low pocket pairs, open-enders, all gut-shots, runner-runner flush draws. suited connectors down to 7-8, low pocket pairs and any suited ace). Low pocket pairs are fairly straightforward to play, their certainly a hand you want to play in position and not multi-way if possible. In this case, Three Aces will be the strongest set, followed by three Kings, and so on all the way down to three Twos. Try not to get too attached to the hand. Our guide to will help you here, but first, here’s a rundown of the different poker positions and what they mean. Pocket Pairs. For example, if a player is dealt two sevens or two kings, they have a pocket pair. If this sounds like a challenging situation, just imagine being in this spot from out of position. Q–Q is usually worth a raise or three-bet (this. When the flop is Ten or Nine-high, you have a strong top pair that is very vulnerable to future cards. Q: How many combos of unpaired hands are there in poker? A: There are 16 combinations of each unpaired hand (4 suited, 12 unsuited). . You’ll flop a set around 1 in 8 times, but. Paired Hands (Pocket Pairs) Paired Hands are also called pocket pairs. 45% of the time. Remember that pocket Aces are not indestructible. For an improved article-browsing experience, go to our primary blog page here and use the check boxes at. In the instances where your Pocket Jacks have a smaller pair dominated, you always have to worry about those pesky, sneaky sets. Since flushes and trips increase in value, suited hands and pocket pairs increase in value. Pocket queens. I’m pretty new to poker and really wouldn’t go by anything I say, but it’s implied odds your shooting for, late position call or 3! Fold to 4!. 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. 6 possible combinations of each pocket pair. 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"). How to Play Pocket Pairs | A Winner’s Guide "Plays" Strategies by Team RedSharkPoker 3 years ago 0 1048 Who doesn’t love pocket pairs in poker! Seeing two cards of the same value brings a big smile to your. In other words, the play will win chips, but lose dollars in the long run. * *The solver elects to raise with some of these hands as a semi-bluff raises at some frequency, as I will describe below. Add a second player with another pocket pair to the hand and your chance at losing the pot doubles. Against an Early Position raise, fold Queen-Ten suited. Small pocket pairs might look nice as a starting hand, but you should be dumping most of them in early position. An example: We have either JJ or QQ and are in late or mid position. Something like 7-6-4 fits nicely with the range of the player who called preflop. Best Online Poker Sites. Instead, your strategy should be to scare the opponents into folding, even if it requires a bit of bluffing. To be honest as a general rule, try to get involved in the game to wait and see the flop. Pocket pairs can be some of the most profitable hands in poker. Hands like suited connectors and all pocket pairs rise in value. If you hit a set then you should play your hand very aggressively. Tips for Playing Middle Pocket Pairs After Calling In Position vs 3-Bet Tip #1: After hitting a set on the flop, do not raise You’ve hit. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player looking to refine your skills, understanding the basics of playing pocket pairs is essential. Always remember that. 8824% or 1 : 16. Besides the usual flush and. Maximizing Profit with Pocket Pairs: A Comprehensive Guide. These hands can be profitable when you play them from late positions. Usually, it's not a good idea to call all-in re-raises, especially in situations when you play cash games, because there's a considerable risk that other players who go all-in will do so with big pocket pairs (often bigger than pocket Queens). About 36% of the time pocket jacks will hold up as an over pair, while 41% of the time there will be overcards that beat jacks with top pair. To increase pot size while having the most equity. Playing small pairs incorrectly is one of the biggest mistakes that less experienced players make. Let’s take a look at one such scenario: Example: The Button raises and the Big Blind calls. However, many players make costly mistakes with small pocket pairs, like chasing sets too often. Counting Combos: Pocket Pairs Let's try one. With a small pocket pair you’re generally not going to have an overpair to the board. He has no ideas on the other players from previous hands, and he’s dealt pocket tens in the small blind. Playing Pocket Jacks - Fishhooks or Jokers. Pocket Kings is the second best poker hand you can be dealt in Texas Hold’em poker, behind only pocket Aces. Sets are often hidden and you can easily stack someone who has top pair or an overpair. When the action folds to you and you have Ace-Ten offsuit, you should almost always raise. Once you play online higher stakes, stealing with Pocket Pairs becomes necessary to show a profit. Despite being attractive preflop, small pocket pairs are notorious for causing problems postflop, forcing even the experienced players in to making unprofitable decisions. When the turn pairs the middle card after you’ve c-bet the flop, you should play a tight double barrel strategy. How well do you know your pocket pairs in poker? Learn how to use them to your advantage. UTG is seated to the left of the big blind and is the first player to act. Playable in any position - Stronger opening bets mixed with limps or calls, Play this one fast if you are ahead on the flop. If you are checking and calling, you are missing out on a prime opportunity to force. Let’s begin!The best way to play your small pocket pairs in poker is to set mine with them. 3-bet if another player has raised. With that being said, there is a right and wrong way to play small pairs pre-flop and post-flop. I mean you can play how ever you want, check raise, bluff. IMO pocket pairs is a must play in fishy 1/2 stakes. While it seems like you get dealt pairs a lot, the actual odds of receiving any pocket pair is just 5. There are 1326 total combinations of all hands that can be dealt pre-flop, from Aces to 3-2 offsuit. Feedback is always encouraged!Of course, the more sophisticated player understands that pocket fives can often be a complex and challenging hand to play. In almost all circumstances getting all-in pre. Whether it’s in a single raised pot (SRP) or 3bet+ pot, and for lesser experienced. There are 13 pocket pairs in Texas Holdem poker.