POCKET PAIRS 9's and Below

[CaliStyle]

What are you guys doing in $8/$16 games - $40/$80 games with hands like pocket eights and nines in early position. What pairs are you playing in early position, 6's and above? Eights and above??? And what position do you like to be in for pocket sixes and below to be playable? The button? I tend to limp in with eights and nines in early and raise tens and above usually. Play sixes and sevens from middle and fives and below in late. What do you guys think?

[TheTimeIsUp]

Limp with 88 and 99, fold 77 and below.

[TheBusiness]

I generally limp with 77 and below in either middle or late position if there are other limpers. If it is folded to me in late position I open raise any pocket pair. I will call up to two cold with 88-1010 in any position, and I'll raise 88-1010 from either middle or late position if its folded to me. I also tend to play middle and low pocket pairs more aggressively as the stakes get higher. In a 10-20 game I am more passive with them preflop, in a 40-80 game I am much more likely to raise even small pp's.

[CaliStyle]

That is what I do. Tens and above I am raising or three betting most of the time, sometimes with tens and on rare occassionally I limp with Jacks if there are a lot of callers. Where do most of you two plus two guys start playing pocket sevens and below (position)??? Also what are you doing with 8's and 9's when there is a raise before it gets to you???

[CaliStyle]

Business, what are you doing with eights, nines and tens in $8/$16-$15/$30 games. Limping in, raising, three betting???

[CaliStyle]

GIVE ME SOME MORE INSIGHT ON THIS GUYS. I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU ARE PLAYING THESE HANDS. Just give me some opinions, thoughts, whatever.

[pfkaok]

there's no exact, easy answer, and i'm sure many top players have pretty different approaches to this.

in general though, limp more when the game is looser and more passive up front... be more inclined to either fold or raise as the game gets tighter, and more aggressive.

[CaliStyle]

What do you do in a tight-passive game where you have no clue lots of the time if you are betting the best hand or not. For example you raise with pocket tens under the gun and get a jack high flop where someone would not call you unless they had at worst two overcards, but they could have ace jack suited or even pocket queens, but give you no info.

[TStoneMBD]

there are some really bad answers here.

first, raising 88 and 99 UTG is standard.

pocket 77s are a limp or raise.

any pocket pairs below that are usually worth folding UTG, but some people can play 66 and 55 for profit in early positions. lately ive been implementing 66 EP in certain games which is new for me, but i think i can make that hand profitable.

[CaliStyle]

Stone you really feel raising 8,8 and 9,9 under the gun is standard???? I feel raising tens and above is standard but I am weary to raise 8's and 9's under the gun. Why do you like raising 8's and nines under the gun? I do limp with 7's most of the time. Sixes I feel should be mucked UTG and 5's for sure. I like sixes and fives in MP and 4's-2's in late position. Stone also what are you doing with 9's - 7's when there is a raise in front of you, T's as well ( I am usually three betting with tens), smooth calling with nines, and folding anything under. What do you think???? What limits are you talking about, I am mostly playing in $8-$16-$15/$30 right now. Occasionally $20/$40

[TStoneMBD]

i cannot think of a time that i have ever limped in with 99 UTG, nor can i think of a game where it would be correct to. in really loose games limping with 88 is fine. as far as what to do with these pairs against raisers, well, it all depends. there are no set answers. against some players its correct to fold TT to. against some players its correct to 3bet 88 against. positioning, table context, villain aggression, hero image, and other factors are all relevant when making these decisions. i usually will not cold call a preflop raise unless it is a multiway pot. if you want to learn when you should be folding certain hands, and when you should be 3betting them, post specific hands that youve played instead of theoretically discussing them. its much easier to answer these types of questions when you supply villain descriptions.

im a 20/40 player

[stanky]

If the games being played five handed or more on average (common for my regular 20-40) I'll limp EP with 22-88, sometimes raise 88, raise 99. If the games tighter I'll fold 22-66 in EP, limp 77-99. I've never folded 77 when I was first in.

So basically my deciding factor when I'm in EP is how many players I think will see the flop regardless of whether it will be raised or not. If there's alot of gamblers or fish,especially aggresive post flop ones, I'll play any pair up front.

-Pete

[TStoneMBD]

you guys should all read this:

shorthanded preflop chart (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1256134&page=&view=&sb=5& o=&vc=1)

i feel like im posting in the microlimit forum.

[stanky]

Are we in the SH forum?

-Pete

[CaliStyle]

We are not talking about shorthanded.

[TStoneMBD]

[ QUOTE ]
If the games being played five handed or more on average (common for my regular 20-40)

[/ QUOTE ]

i thought he meant 5handed as in SH. i guess he just means loose. sorry.

[stanky]

Oh. I meant five players seeing the flop in a 10 handed game.

-Pete

[pfkaok]

[ QUOTE ]
i thought he meant 5handed as in SH. i guess he just means loose. sorry.


[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, if this is 5handed then i'd almost always raise 66 or 55 UTG