Playing 7-7 through 10-10

[The_Missile]

I had a long discussion with this (spanning 4 hours) with a couple of friends today at work, regarding pocket pairs 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10.

I think that you have to almost always raise with these hands for a couple of reasons:
1) Raising (especially in NL tourneys) tends to knock out a lot of hands that aren't top-ten hands (aces through sevens, including A-K and A-Q). Raising with 7s through 10s could also give other players with similar hands (suited connectors, maybe even a pocket pair of similar strength) the idea that they are beat with a higher pair or overcards, and therefore a seasoned player would probably fold.
2) Simply limping into a pot gives you two disadvantages. The first is that with middle pairs like these, it is quite posisble that you could miss the flop altogether and now be playing from behind, whereas knocking out an Ax preflop or a K-Q/K-J/Q-J would prevent that from happening. The second is that you run the risk of running into poor or marginal hands that hit the flop taking out yours.

I do think that more skilled players who can play the flop very well could limp into the pot, and then if they hit a set, or their cards represent an overpair, or they're good at taking out two high cards versus what's on the board, then limping could through of your opponent. But overall, I think it's best to raise with these hands.

Any thoughts?

[ginko]

Raising is more deceptive so it works better in tougher games. In games with bad players(the games you should be sitting at), people are calling your raises with trash anyways so you are just wasting money.

10-10 is really the only hand you can continue to play solidly after the flop unless you hit a set. So calling is better than raising in most situations.

[irish79]

i agree with ginko:

Decent approach in tough games raising with them appox 1/2-1/3 of the time...but no so good when the game is fishdafide-call stations will hook ya!

of course you can't forget position and how it values or devalues them!

IMHO