How do you play top pair on a ragged board?

[Daithi]

I've run into this problem on several occasions and thought I would solicit opinions. Let's say you are in the big blind with junk and see a free flop, and hit top pair on a ragged flop (e.g. you hold 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif2/images/graemlins/club.gif and flop is 8/images/graemlins/club.gif3/images/graemlins/spade.gif5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif). How would you play this?

How about if 2 people limped from mid position and you raised 3xBB with Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif from the button and flopped 8/images/graemlins/club.gif3/images/graemlins/spade.gif5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif? (i.e. you were making a button play here).

What if you limped with 77 or 99 from mid or late position and flopped an overpair to the board? Does the number of others in the pot with you change your play?

I find these rag flops hard to play. Any bet here is often not believed, so if you bet them you are likely to be raised significantly. Sometimes it is a guy making a play, and sometimes it is an overpair, or an aggressive flush draw with two overcards (this will improve over 50% of the time). Even if someone just calls, you are likely to be raised or bet into on the turn or the river when an overcard falls. I've made these plays myself when someone bets a ragged flop. However, not betting the flop will often mean giving up what is currently the best hand.

What if we are late in a tournament and there is significant blind/ante money in the pot? How do you play then?

I know, a lot of questions without easy answers, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

[DougBrennan]

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I've run into this problem on several occasions and thought I would solicit opinions. Let's say you are in the big blind with junk and see a free flop, and hit top pair on a ragged flop (e.g. you hold 82 and flop is 835). How would you play this?

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Depending on stack sizes and my mood, I will generally do one of two things.
A) lead out with a slightly less than pot-sized bet, say pot is 150 bet 125
B) check and then raise any moderate size bet, say pot 150, bet 60, raise to 200

In both instances I would probably fold to much resistance. A pair of eights with no kicker's not much of a hand. And if I have chosen B) as my option, and the bet is pot-sized, I'm out of there. Lousy hand, out-of-position, it may be best but how can you play it?

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How about if 2 people limped from mid position and you raised 3xBB with Q8 from the button and flopped 835? (i.e. you were making a button play here).


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So much here depends on specific tournament conditions, stack sizes, table dynamics, etc., but in general, if I am making a pre-flop play on the pot as the aggressor and hit top pair, I will make a strong pot-sized bet. It is very difficult for people to call a pre-flop raiser if the flop missed them, and it probably did. And even if they call, you have top pair. The difference between these two replies is that, for me, being a pre-flop aggressor makes a big difference in how I play the rest of the hand. It's sort of the post-flop Gap Theory in action.

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What if you limped with 77 or 99 from mid or late position and flopped an overpair to the board? Does the number of others in the pot with you change your play?



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Hard not to bet an overpair regardless of the number of callers, but it probably ought to influence your actions. Also your read on whether or not any of your opponents could be slow-playing a higher overpair.

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I find these rag flops hard to play. Any bet here is often not believed, so if you bet them you are likely to be raised significantly. Sometimes it is a guy making a play, and sometimes it is an overpair, or an aggressive flush draw with two overcards (this will improve over 50% of the time). Even if someone just calls, you are likely to be raised or bet into on the turn or the river when an overcard falls. I've made these plays myself when someone bets a ragged flop. However, not betting the flop will often mean giving up what is currently the best hand.


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I find them difficult to play also, and I try to remind myself when I do make a move on the pot not to get too committed just because I put some money in. More and more in tournaments, if the money in the pot is small, and I have a hand that is difficult to play, I am OK with dumping it. Sometimes cliches become cliches because of their truth, and I would rather give up my chance at the small pot I could win to avoid the big pot I could lose.

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What if we are late in a tournament and there is significant blind/ante money in the pot? How do you play then?



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If the table has been tight, I would up the level of aggression in all of these instances, but I would still be wary of committing my tournament life to a hand I wasn't proud of and didn't feel comfortable playing.

Others may have different, better responses, but this is generally how I approach the kinds of situations you describe. And if some of what I said sounds a little contradictory, that is probably a reflection of my ambivilant feelings about these hands. I will play them at times, but never too happily.

Doug