When pocket pairs don't hit on flop

[Jon Poker]

What is the correct play with pocket pairs that don't flop a set and the flop contains overcards? How many callers do you need to stay in? And if you stay for the turn should you stay to the river (assuming its just 1 more bet)?

[PokerPrince]

Small pocket pairs that do not hit a set on a flop containing all or 2 overcard should be folded the greater percentage of the time.

An exception would be if the pot is being contended short handed(HU or 3way), then you may want to try and take it with a bet. Another exception would be if the pot was very very large and you held your small under pocket pair. If in a safer late position you MAY want to call a single small bet to see if you spike it on the turn. BUT, you should be getting at least 20:1 pot odds for your call to be correct.

Another important factor to keep in mind is, Will you hitting your set card compliment the board in a positive way for your opponents? If so, it's a good idea to muck, even if the pot is quite large.

PokerPrince

[LetsRock]

This is why I'm not a big fan of (little) pocket pairs. They're just too vulnerable to overcards. I know there are some schools of thought to play them aggressively but I don't have the heart for that school.

That being said, I try to play them as cheaply as possible from late position. With 2 or more overcards on the flop, I'll usually call one bet to see the turn. (It's probably not mathematically correct, but sometimes ya just gotta see!)

If I do play them on a whim from early position, it's on what I call a "flop 'n go" condition. If the flop doesn't give me set, I go away (unless of course it checks around).

As previous poster mentioned, if your set would compliment the board (ie. 66 and flop is 578), just go away because this is where you can really lose money trying to protect what should be a winner, but won't be.

[CORed]

As with most things in poker. This is complex. Things to consider are the rank of your pocket pair, the cards in the flop, and the number of players seeing the flop.

22-77: These generally don't have much chance of winning unless you flop a set. This is especially true at the low end. In general, you want to see the flop cheaply, and, if you don't flop the set, don't put any more money in. You will flop a set about 1 time in 8, and it won't always win, so, when you do make the set and win, you need to win about 9 times your preflop money to make money on these. Exceptions are if you are heads up, or if it gets checked through on the flop, your pair may have a chance to win unimproved, especially at the top of this range.

88-TT: Here your pair begins to have a decent chance of winning unimproved. Preflop, you should think about raising if you are 1st or 2nd in and your raise has a good chance of getting it heads-up or three-way. Otherwise, play them like the small pairs. Postflop, if you make a set or overpair, you have a very good hand and should play very aggressively. If the flop has one overcard, you still have a good chance if there are 4 or fewer players in. Be more cautious if the overcard is an A, because, in most games, a lot of the players will play any ace. If the flop contains two or three overcards. check, fold and wait for the next hand. If the flop is paired and your pair is smaller than both ranks, you are in serious trouble. Although you can sometimes steal the pot with a bet on the flop, if the turn or river pairs the board again, your pair is no longer in play.

JJ-KK: Now you are entering the realm of the best possible pocket cards. These should nearly always be raised and re-raised preflop. However, if overcards, especially aces, flop, you could still be in trouble. Postflop, play them much the same as the 88-TT group.

AA: Aces are in a class by themselves, because there are no overcards. They won't always win, but they will win far more than their fair share. Unless you have a flop with serious flush or straight potential, you should play very agressively. Also if the flop is single suited and one of your aces is of that suit, you should play agressively.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
As previous poster mentioned, if your set would compliment the board (ie. 66 and flop is 578), just go away because this is where you can really lose money trying to protect what should be a winner, but won't be.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why would you fold an open ended straight draw?

I think what he was trying to say was that you should fold something like 6 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] if the board is A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] even if the odds you are getting might seem good enough.

[Ed Miller]

The correct way to address this quandry is to stop missing your sets on the flop. It's as simple as that. I can't remember the last time I failed to flop at least a set with my pocket pairs.

Sometimes flopping quads is preferred. Be careful, though, and make sure to only flop quads with your small pairs. Flopping quads with your big pairs will scare the bejeezus out of your opponents and you won't get the action you want.

Hope this helped.

[LetsRock]

Maybe I wasn't clear. Or confused (I seem to be good at that [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]).

My point was that getting a 6 on the turn here wouldn't be help. I wouldn't suggest (although maybe I did [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]) laying down an open end draw - just beware that your set on the turn is probably dead.

[slavic]

good lord I just sprayed milk all over the monitor.

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[LetsRock]

LOL

Of course, the answer is obvious!

[PokerPrince]

LOL! Good ol' Kong.

PokerPrince