[MisterKing]

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How does everyone play middle and low pocket pairs? Do you call into an unraised pot and hope to hit trips, only betting if you do? Do you raise pre-flop and hope to isolate against 2 overcards and then take it from them on the flop if they miss?

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The answer, as usual, is "it depends." If you're a starting stack (e.g. $50 in the Party NL$50 max buy-in game), then your ability to do this is somewhat diminshed. If you're the big stack at the table, you can do so liberally, from any position.

Personally, I fold deuces and terys under the gun and UTG+1 when standard to middle stacked. I MIGHT play them if I've got more chips, but in no case for more than the BB. Moving into middle position, I'll call with 4's through 8's, and often raising 9's. TT is a mandatory raise, as are all others -- slowplaying pre-flop is horrible in these games. If its raised 5% of my stack or less, I will often call when it gets back to me, particularly if I think I can get the raiser to pay off a set.

With a larger stack, the calling hands easily become raises. Pocket 6's in middle position, no problem for a standard raise. This will help you steal some blinds/limps, and also mix up your game in a way that should help your monster hands get more action. As long as you're willing to treat chips as ammo rather than money, you can blow people off of TPTK with xxQ boards if you're playing these middle pairs strong enough when on the big stack. Be inclined to make this play against your more passive, weak opponents. As always, you have to be selective against whom you do this, as Party players have an extreme tendency to call.