Is that a pair in your pocket? Or are you just pleased to see us? From deuces to pocket rockets, our former poker expert, the late Andrew NS Glazer gave us the best playing strategies for every pair in Texas hold'em. Pocket pairs are potentially some of the most profitable hands in hold'em, but because they are so often misplayed - usually overplayed, sometimes underplayed - they don't add as much to your day's win or your tournament chances as they should.
The "coin flip" myth
Whenever you watch televised poker and you see someone with a pocket pair going up against someone with two overcards (such as Q-Q vs A-K or 7-7 vs 8-9), you almost always hear the announcers say one of two things: either the hand is a "coin flip" (meaning that it's a 50/50 chance) or that "it's roughly 11/10 in favour of the pair".
Different pocket pairs are different sized favourites against different overcards. They are not always favourites. J-10 suited is a favourite over every single pair from twos through sevens, if the pair doesn't contain one of the suited cards, and usually even if it does. You need to reach pocket eights before the pair becomes the favourite, and that's by a tiny amount.
On the other hand, if you take your pocket sevens - or even your pocket deuces, for that matter - up against A-K, you're the favourite. Can you guess why the J-10 hands do so well?
There are four main ways in which overcards can defeat a pocket pair:
To hit one (or more) of the overcards
For example, Q-Q vs A-K, and the final board is 5-K-7-J-2.
To make a straight
A single card from a pair can also help make a straight, but two connected cards stand a much better chance. 7-7 vs J-10, with the final board coming 8-9-Q-7-2 (notice that even making a set of 7s on the turn didn't save the pocket pair).
To make a flush
For example, 8h-8h vs Qs-Js with the final board coming 10s-9s-Ah-3h-8s. Notice the same river card that gave the eights their 'lucky' set also created the flush.
To get counterfeited
For example, 3-3 vs A-9, and the final board comes 5-5-6-10-6. The owner of the 3s must play the board, while the opponent can use his Ace. Any time you own a small pair and a larger pair flops, be careful.
Smaller pairs
I split pocket pairs into several distinct value groups. Let's start at the bottom and work our way up:
Small pairs (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5)
Although these hands stand a reasonable chance of winning a heads-up confrontation against overcards, they have several major vulnerabilities. In a game where three or more players see the flop, they usually need to make a set to win. Small pairs are also the most vulnerable to getting counterfeited. The good news is that their unimproved post-flop weakness is so obvious that even bad players are usually willing to throw them away, something that can't always be said of?
Middle pairs (6-6, 7-7, and 8-8)
For the most part, these hands play like small pairs. The biggest difference is that they don't get counterfeited nearly as often, and occasionally in heads-up confrontations, you will find yourself facing only one overcard instead of two. Otherwise, these hands can be more troublesome than small pairs, especially if the board comes low - 10-4-2, for instance.
Danger pairs (9-9, 10-10)
Much like middle pairs, but occasionally will hold up against an opponent who has hit part of his hand (like someone playing A-8 suited who hits the 8). Should be played like middle pairs, but you will very rarely get counterfeited. I call them danger pairs because players tend to push them too hard.
Royal couples
J-J:
The single trickiest hand in no-limit. It wins just enough without improvement to give its owner confidence, yet is extremely vulnerable in multi-way situations. If you are facing all three overcards, you are a significant underdog. Just how big varies: you're far better off being up against A-K and K-Q (winning about 43%) than against A-K and Q-10 (winning about 38%), because of the lack of duplication. One trick to avoid getting into trouble with J-J is to pretend it's 8-8. You'll only play it hard in favourable post-flop situations, and won't try to beat the world with it, pre-flop.
Q-Q:
The third best starting hand in hold'em should be played aggressively. The problem in low-limit games is you won't just be up against one player holding A-K: You'll be up against K-10 here and A-9 there, and that's much less favourable than facing a solitary A-K. In no-limit, what sort of hands will you face heavy action with? Bluffs, the occasional person overplaying a smaller pair or A-Q, A-K. . . and K-K or A-A, where you're a 9/2 underdog. It's often best to make a significant but not full-commitment raise and wait to see if the flop contains an Ace or King. If you're in a tournament, and someone raises up front, someone else moves in on him, and someone else calls the all-in bet, unless at least one of the all-in players was short stacked, your Queens belong in the muck. Ditto for any situation where someone seems unafraid of multiple opponents.
K-K:
They are a terrific hand and worth playing quite strongly. They do belong a full level below Aces, though, because even some rookie playing A-3 has a 30% chance to beat you with his overcard. In a low-limit, multi-way pot, if an Ace flops, your Kings are essentially doomed; only in high-limit games where players will throw hands like A-9 away do you have a chance, and even then, it's probably worth not bothering until you're an advanced player. Try to avoid going on tilt when the Kings get beaten, because players hold singleton Aces a lot and 30% chances aren't insignificant.
A-A:
Aces are much better than Kings because you can't be facing an overcard. One key in playing Aces correctly lies in knowing when to get away from them. In low-limit, multi-way games, you should figure that two red aces are toast when the flop comes 9s-10s-Js; in other words, beware extremely coordinated flops. Don't get stubborn. A lot of no-limit players like to limp with Aces, hoping that someone else will raise, and then they can re-raise. This is dangerous. If five people wind up limping, you have no idea where you are after the flop. You raise a lot with other hands and get re-raised; why not raise with this one, and hope you get re-raised here? If everyone folds and you just win the blinds, that's unfortunate, but not as unfortunate as losing your whole stack because you let someone in too cheaply and only betheavily once his hand became well defined.
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