Playing MIddle/low pocket's pre/post flop

[pipster]

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?

I have generally been playing a combination of the 2, calling in early position and check/raising if I hit the set. And trying to isolate/buy the pot from late position.

COmments? Feedback?

[tbach24]

It depends where you are playing, in a loose game follow the "no set, no bet" motto. In a tight game, I might be more inclined to bluff with them, but that's basically what it is, a bluff. It really isn't a semi-bluff since you have two outs usually.

[pipster]

This is Party Poker .25/.50 games Pot-Limit. So generally an unraised pot has 5-6 people in it, and a max raised flop has 2-3. Often a late position raise will take the pot or isolate against one other player.

[tbach24]

Then only play for set value. You will be paid off. I don't like raising with these just to steal blinds.

[Tilt]

In full ring I am limping and playing the "no set no bet" approach with exceptions. If I flop an overpair I fire at least one bullet into an unraised pot.

If I call a raise because I have PT I sometimes have a good idea of what the raiser is holding. If I know they raise any AT-AK, I will sometimes get into a skirmish with them even with no set if there are no broadway cards on board. You almost never want to do this, however, in a multiway pot.

[MisterKing]

[ QUOTE ]
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?

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

[poboy]

I will limp 99-22 from any position, will call a raise if it's around 5% of the smaller stack. I will raise w/ 10's(sometimes 99) or better most of the time, I might limp UTG depending on the table. If I'm on the button with only one or two limpers I will raise with any pair. If I raised it prelop I will bet the flop if checked to me, if someone bets in front of me and my hand didn't improve I fold. If I limped it in than I go by the no set no bet rule. JMO