Small Pairs in BB
 

Here is a situation I am constantly faced with.

You are playing 5/10NL, everyone has around $1000 (if that even matters). You are in BB and get dealt 22. Everyone folds to button who raises to $40.... Your action?

How would you play this against someone who is known as a constant blind stealer?

Any comments appreciated!

Thanks,
Bill Ivey

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

call.

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

i used to call in these spots thinking i had implied odds.

then i realized it's hard to get paid off with sets OOP, esp against wide range of hands button will raise here with.

also, getting overset is more likely with these 22-66's
I often fold in these spots, and got most of those reasonings off Bob Ciaffone's advices.

I'd love to hear what others have to say.

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

I think calling or folding here is heavily dependent on reads.
If button is tight and overplays overpairs, this call is a no brainer. If villain is LAG and is more likely to make this raise with 2 broadway cards on button then this call is not good because you wont make much off him when u do flop a set as he will often have nothing, and if u dont flop your set , you're in a tough spot OOP.

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

Call and pot 100% of flops.

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

Really? I have thought about this strategy before. Is the reasoning that the raiser (esp. in late position) is much more likely to have to high cards rather than a pair? Anybody else do this with sm.pp's?

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

[ QUOTE ]
Really? I have thought about this strategy before. Is the reasoning that the raiser (esp. in late position) is much more likely to have to high cards rather than a pair? Anybody else do this with sm.pp's?

[/ QUOTE ]let me give you a hint... when it comes K74 and you have 22 your hand is irrelevant. you are not taling this one to showdown.

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

[ QUOTE ]
Call and pot 100% of flops.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im not saying your wrong, but what if the flop is AKQ? KT9 all spades? JT8?

This sounds expensive to me

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

I have a strategy of sometimes reraising with small pp's 22-88 to set up Steals, rather than check fold flop after calling pf

Re: Small Pairs in BB
 

[ QUOTE ]
Here is a situation I am constantly faced with.

You are playing 5/10NL, everyone has around $1000 (if that even matters). You are in BB and get dealt 22. Everyone folds to button who raises to $40.... Your action?

How would you play this against someone who is known as a constant blind stealer?

Any comments appreciated!

Thanks,
Bill Ivey

[/ QUOTE ]

Does your opp generally continuation bet most flops? If so, I would call and then sometimes check-raise the flop on a steal, and sometimes check-raise the flop if I catch the set, and sometimes just check-call the flop without the set and then check-raise the turn. The twos are pretty likely to hold up against random two overs, and this also has the result of slowing him down eventually against you, which can work to your advantage. If you're not playing them to the river, I don't like the auto-push on the flop as a strategy, since it gives up way too much leverage to your opp out of position in light of the reverse implied odds. Much better to check-raise to reverse that on the flop. If your opp won't likely continue-bet it on most flops though, then you need to either lay it down or re-raise pre-flop, because his positional advantage will kill you over time ifhe's not an auto-bettor on a flop that's checked to him.