How to play 99 from early position...

[TEBPilot]

Any thoughts on how to play 99 and other med pairs out of early position? Let's assume it's early in the tournament, level 1-3. Any input is appreciated..

[HentaiGaijin]

If its real early in the tournament, like the very first orbit, I won't play it. I'd rather be conservative and watch how the others play their hands.

If its a bit later on, I make a move depending on the feel of the table. Tight tables, I raise 99. Loose tables, I may limp (knowing I'll have to call a raise) or fold. This also depends heavily on your own stack and table image.

The later you are the tournament and the fewer players left, the more valuable a medium pair becomes, right? But it depends also on your stack to the blind ratio. If you are in bad shape, it might be the right move to push all-in.

[HentaiGaijin]

Also, don't forget that the point of limping early with pairs is to surprise an opponent when you make a great flop. If you miss the flop, you release the hand. Don't keep drawing for trips. You have about a 12% chance to flop trips, I believe. This only improves to 20% if you see all five cards.

[TheDrone]

I don't think there is anything wrong with limping medium pairs in early position when it's early in the tournament because you have great implied odds with them. If you get min-raised it's worth a call. If you are faced with a big raise it's no big deal to fold for the measly cost of a BB.

[DarrenX]

I've been trying a new strategy lately with 99 & TT UTG with some success, but don't want to be results-oriented and am looking for criticism regarding it (assume average stacks at this point):

I'll limp in, seeing what everyone else does. If it's raised by a solid player, I'll re-raise a sizeable amount (ex: if they raise 3x BB, I may pop it 3x their bet), simulating a slow-played AA or KK. I've gotten many folds this way. Comments welcome-- (perhaps risking too much on a borderline hand that probably doesn't have much of a chance after a flop?) /images/graemlins/blush.gif

If it's raised sizeably by a player who I think is weak, clueless, or whom I otherwise don't have a read on, I'll probably let them go. If it's a mini-raise I'll definitely stick around for the flop.

If it's not raised, my limp up front hopefully encouraged a cheap multi-way pot, which is what I want from my low-mid PPs anyway.

Thoughts?

[BradleyT]

Early - play for set value.

They're a hand that's quite easy to get away from when the flop isn't favorable. Say goodbye to your 15-30 chips and move on to the next hand.

[Daxonovitch]

Espescially in Party tournaments where any-two-cards-limpers are abundant and implied odds go through the roof.

[JCoe]

it's definately a strong move. i would think your decision to use it in the future depends on 1) the read on your opponents, which you seem to have good ones, and 2) the % of times you get them to fold. with them raising, i would think that your 99 is a small favorite to two over cards Ak-AT kq, qjs jts or a big dog to a higher pair. i think that if you're getting better than 60-70 % folds, its a good move. also, your ability to come back from a short stack plays a part. if you play well short stacked, i think you can continue with the play. jmo

[Jason Strasser]

God there is some shady advice in this thread. Bradley T is right. See the flop cheap. No set, no overpair, fold. Otherwise play aggressively.

Limp raising with 99 or TT is... interesting. Maybe its ok to do once in a while to mix it up, but I think you should play these things nice and easy. I'll call decent bets in multiway pots. But essentially, early in a tournament, 99 is 22 for me, unless I flop under cards. I want a set, or I want out. It's very easy.

[DarrenX]

Thanks for your response. I figure the majority of the hands I'm a big dog to would reraise, which would make an easy fold for me. I definitely will keep track of my stats on this move and see how it goes.

As far as playing with a short stack, this hypothetical occurs in the early stages with an average stack. A hit of 150-270 to my 1000 stack with 10/15 or 15/30 blinds wouldn't be devastating, although as I read this, it seems I'm risking quite a bit for not much. My thought is I've been skewed based on results, and the first time this one slaps me in the face I'll wonder, "what the heck was I thinking?" /images/graemlins/confused.gif