[William]

So I guess I am asking if you guys like this kind of strategy in this situation, with say pocket pairs like 99-QQ.

I myself, would like to know the answer to this question [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

These are the tricky pairs, the ones that cost you that place at the final table or a bigger money prize.

If people bother to answer, you are going to be burried in different answers, moves, opinions.
All of those answers will be based on personal experiences, so you have to be carefull when you read them.

Anyway, my opinion on the subject is that the lower the pair, the more interested you are in just winning the pot right there. with QQ for example, you are interested in someone calling you, but he has to pay a price for it, and if the flop is rags, you still want him to call you, still for the correct price. If it is 99 or TT, and you weren't able to claim the pot pre-flop, you don't want anybody to see the turn, so you should be trying to push them off the pot.

This sounds easy, but not everybody reacts to your bets as you wish them to do, many factors have an influence on opponents reactions.

The blinds
The size of the stacks at the table
Yours and others positions
Your table image
Your recent actions at the table
Some personal factore we have no way of finding out about
Many other things I have probably forgotten to mention

For example, if you have been stealing a lot, they are all waiting for an occasion to reraise you. Good if you are holding QQ, bad if it is 99.
If there is a very short stack that is trying to double up, again, good with QQ, bad with 99.
If you have a very tight image, good with 99, bad with QQ.
You have stolen the 3 last pots? Good with QQ, bad with 99.

You get the idea; Here is where poker gets complicated; You have to be able to analize all of those factors, and find out how the other players are likely to react to your actions. And it has to go fast, because if you think too much, they will start thinking about that too, unless you WANT them to start wondering and are pausing deliberately.

So I guess we are back at the good old IT DEPENDS. Time to use you brain and find out that because you have so many chips, are in such position, have played/stealed so many hands/pots in the last couple of rounds and because you know this or that about them, and they know you know, etc...the right move is "BINGO"

Confused? That's poker. But there is no magic answer.

Take care,
William