small pocket pairs in early position

[beekeeper]

Question for NLHE tournament format:

As the blinds go up, in early position, I tend to throw away small pocket pairs (22 to 77). I just reread something Harrington recommended in his first book, about choosing a hand to raise with as a way of randomizing your play/bluffs. What's your opinion on raising with small pocket pairs as an attempt to steal a pot from early position, as a way of randomizing your play?

It appeals to me a couple of ways: (1) if you get called, you can still make trips on the flop and you've built a nice pot; (2) if you get reraised or the flop misses, it should be easy to let the hand go.

That said, if you like the idea, what size raise would you make relative to the blinds?

Thanks.

I like this idea. As for raise, I think it would depend on how many players have limped in behind you.

Personally, I would rather play these pocket pairs with very few seeing the flop.

I think its a good strategy - but I would not neccessarily go all they way down to 22 with it.

You have pointed out three possible scenarios:

1) you are called and hope to hit your trips
2) you are reraised and you fold
3) the flop misses and you fold to a bet

But there is a 4th scenario to consider - you are called and the flop misses EVERYONE. For example, lets say you raise with 77 and you are just called and the flop is 258r. Now, with your 77, depending on the circumstances, you may want to bet again - but if you only had 33 or 44, you probably would not.

In other words, the higher the small pocket pair, the more likely you are to have the best hand after the flop even if you do not hit your trips.

So I think it is a good strategy overall, I would probably just avoid doing it with 22, 33, 44, and perhaps even 55, depending on reads.