Joined: Mar '13
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 39 (F)
Posts: 48
do you play them all the time (im talking 2-9)
with a 7.5/1 chance of hitting a set on the flop and a 50% chance (from jacks suited) that an overcard will land - so obivously alot higher from 9s say - im really starting to doubt them
i seem to rarely get any payoff from them, and when i do its usually a small insignifcant pot, i dont go chasing re-raises preflop and try to play them cheaply the majority of the time, but just seems they are costin me alot of money over time.
im considering just throwing them all unless it is really cheap to call, but then on the otherhand it feels like i would be limiting my range further (tryin to play tight-agg, with few curveballs) therefore losing more money to chucking sb and bb to raises.
any tips on how best to play them or how you take them on appreciated.
Joined: May '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 217
I find playing anything under pocket 9's is risky, especially when you dont need the chips.
Personally i play shove/fold with 10's + against anyone who think hasent got a better pair. If im first to act I just play a standerd bet and hope to see a nice flop with undercards.
Anything under 10's I just try to get a cheap flop and try to mine a set. Hope this helps .
Joined: Mar '13
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 39 (F)
Posts: 48
i usually play them all and ii usually make a standard re-raise of 3 bb if no-one has bet before me, to try adn steal before the flop, i find that if i call 1bb i only call the re-raise to 3 anyway.
if there is a big re-raise pre-flop i will fold.
then 95% of the time ill get out when the set doesnt fall on the flop,
but i find this aint working, so having a rethink!
Joined: May '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 217
Do you play MTT's or SNG's?
It's worth baring in mind to get the chips you need from pairs, sometimes you will have to make a shove with them to maximise value.
Can you post any examples of hands you need abit help with?
"im considering just throwing them all unless it is really cheap to call, but then on the otherhand it feels like i would be limiting my range further (tryin to play tight-agg, with few curveballs) therefore losing more money to chucking sb and bb to raises."
When i first didnt really know how to play small pairs thats exactly what i done, I just stuck to playing 10's or better. From this i learnt alot about how to play smaller pairs after watching people make mistakes or winning big pots.
Joined: Feb '12
Location: Canada
Age: 64 (M)
Posts: 6036
I'll always try to hit the set on the flop if it's cheap to do so,...but no chasing them down the board. Well maybe I'll take a chance on the turn if it's cheap too...but generally not.
It seems a set is fairly easy to hit,...and most of the time when I fold, I would have hit. So I don't generally let them go...
In the long run, I think it pays off to go for it.
I don't know HOW many times I've done one of these: after folding...
Stuff like AA or KK is strong enough on it's own to win a hand, but sometimes the lower pairs need a little something something to bring home the chips....
On the CHEAP though...... otherwise you could just wind up with an expensive bluff catcher...
Joined: Mar '11
Location: Germany
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 1242
I like to play them in position when I can see the flop cheap. Especially with more than 1 opponent in hand for giving nice pot odds. On the flop I mainly play the rule "no set no bet", only sometimes I will bet when I act last.
Joined: May '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 217
Posted by MIGO14: I like to play them in position when I can see the flop cheap. Especially with more than 1 opponent in hand for giving nice pot odds. On the flop I mainly play the rule "no set no bet", only sometimes I will bet when I act last.
Good summery MIGO . Position can be very important. Sometimes even when you do hit a set you cant get enough value out of position to make it worth playing.
Joined: Nov '11
Location: Estonia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 614
at tourney i would call or raise with em often specially if im deep stack and some other deep stack wants play too ... if i hit i can win jackpot but yah it seems its better to fold em if cant see flop cheap
Joined: May '08
Location: Lithuania
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 10090
a lot depends whether it's a cash game or tourney/sng. position is also an issue, how many players in the pot, your read on those players. really lots of questions to be answered. in mtt/sng- i usually try to play small pairs early in the tourney since blinds are small compared to the stack, but try to get in cheaply.
Joined: Mar '13
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 39 (F)
Posts: 48
im playing many cash games and alot of rush poker recently - ive realised i havent the patience for mtts
i do tend to play position but have viewed set mining as profitable when hits - saying that, twice yesterday i had major hits on my bankroll gettin done by slow played trip 7s against my set of 2s and another similar hand 8s v 9s
def. going to stick to 10s plus i think unless its almost stupid not to call. and let other people make mistakes - problem is eyes light up everytime i see them, no live playing 4 me yet.
. 
after folding...
