Medium pair on a paired board

[Rocco]

More basic questions from a guy who wants to master the art of no-limit... I often limp in with medium pockets for the price of 1BB or against a small raise. That's because you want to see a flop and spike a set according to the books, right? How to play your pair under following circumstances?

1. One limper to you and you limp with 88 for 1BB from MP. A smallish raise (to 3xBB) from LP. BB and EP calls and you also call for 2xBB. Correct?

Flop comes 5, J, J (or 5, T, T or 5, 9, 9). BB and EP checks. Your action?

2. You're in LP with 77. EP raises to 3xBB and two players cold-call. Action to you? I would definitely see the flop here... Flop comes 4, J, J and EP leads out with a pot-sized bet. Limpers fold... Fold, call or test him with a raise?

3. Same situation as #2 but flop comes 3, 5, Q. Again EP leads out and all folds to you. Do you test him with a raise? How big?

These are situations that occur quite often and I don't really know how to play them. Often I just cold-call the raiser down if no scary cards fall. Have to plug the leak. I know there are different type of players, so please state the actions you'd take against different kinds of players...

[Rocco]

Bumpeti-bump-bump... In general, should I play my medium pockets aggressively on a flop containing a pair or miscellaneous rags?

[soah]

You're thinking too much about your own cards. You should be worrying more about what your opponent might have, and how he will react to bets/raises/etc with each of the hands he could have. Once you've figured that out, then you consider your own cards and figure out a plan. You will not win money if you do not think past the first level.

[Rocco]

Hmmm... That's true words. Guess I'm trapped in thinking fixed limit, right?

[mgsimpleton]

on the paired board, if it's rainbow, i generally cold call - if he doesn't have trips then he usually has the lower pair or nothing and a cold call gets him scared, unless he has trips. so same effect as a raise but you can get a little more money in when you're ahead and it's cheaper to figure out if you're behind, IMO. often if you raise they will just call with trips and then you will have even less information than before. on a 2 suited board i will often raise.

in the second situation, if an EP bets into a field of players, barring some major read, i give him credit for top pair, sometimes they even have 2 pair. i rarely slow play out of EP and i even more rarely bet my draws into a large field of people.