Pocket pairs preflop

[TheRapist99]

One of the things that has given me the biggest headache on my recent move to 6-max is how to handle more marginal hands that I used to be able to get away with folding. Second pair, top pair crappy kicker as well as smaller pairs preflop.

What the heck do I do with some of these? What do I consider when making a decision? I'm more apt to raise if the game is tighter, definitely will raise if it's folded to me in MP or LP.

Here's a hand from 5 minutes ago:

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. MP posts a blind of $1.

The game is of average tightness. Hero raises UTG. I figured there's an extra blind to fight over, I'll probably get one or 2 callers, maybe not. If I do and they are the loose guys at the table and the flop is raggedy looking I'll probably fire again to try and take it down right there. Any aggression back at me and I probably bail.

Thoughts?

[Sal Allegra]

You need to take top pair and middle pair to the river more often shorthanded, as far as middle pair goes, use the tightness/looseness of player your against as help for those judgment calls, the tighter the player and smaller the pot, the more apt to fold you should be. The more Chance he is semi-bluffing himself, the more you should raise.

[TheRapist99]

[ QUOTE ]
You need to take top pair and middle pair to the river more often shorthanded, as far as middle pair goes, use the tightness/looseness of player your against as help for those judgment calls, the tighter the player and smaller the pot, the more apt to fold you should be. The more Chance he is semi-bluffing himself, the more you should raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind.

So do you think that preflop raise there is ok?

[Petro]

Open-raising with 55 UTG is really pushing it in a 1/2 game. There are a lot of easier ways to milk EV at that limit.

[kapw7]

And yes I know it supposed to come from "therapy"

[baronzeus]

I find that PP 1/2 6max is far too fishy to try to pull this off. Expect to get 2, 3, or even 4 callers and have them call your flop bet even if it's raggedy

[StellarWind]

Assuming typical loose/passive 1/2 table you should probably limp in. Raising is not going to work. The extra blind, bigger pot, and loose players will usually create a multiway pot. Nor do you have adequate pot equity to raise for value.

What you do have is implied odds on potential sets and skills to selectively play other flops against passive bad players. There is money in that but the best way to unlock it is to go for a cheap flop.