Small Pairs Win Too

Many poker tournament winners got there playing small pairs and betting then right.  Pairs of threes, fives and sixes are seen winning many pots in TV tournaments.  Early in the tournament when the blinds are small, this type hand can win some big pots.  This can happen when the flop is set and the pair turns into three of a kind.  This hand if that happens can set up an expensive pot for a big pair or two pair.  If the player holding the small pair slow plays the hand hoping the opponents make a big pair or two pair and he catches the third card for the set this sets the trap.  This can make a lot of money early in the tournament and allow the player to be more aggressive due to the larger chip stack

Negreanu and Hansen play these kinds of hands all the time.   If you see them playing a hand like this, watch how they manage their bets.  This can be a lesson in real time on how to bet the hand for maximum profit.

If the flop does not help the player, they should bail out if the betting gets too stiff.

This true for sure if there is more than one player in the pot at a time.  It is not likely that all players are bluffing.  Calling large wagers in hopes of catching a third card to the pair is an expensive way to play and the odds are very high that help will arrive later in the pot.  Save your stack for a better play later.  Bet management is one of the hardest areas to learn and become an expert doing the right bet at the right time.  Small pairs should be played, but if no help shows and the other bets are very large, then wait for a better place to win a pot.

There are some players that will play this hand as if it is aces and their bets put pressure on the other players.  This takes solid reading of the players in the game and your reputation for playing solid when you have a hand.   A lose player will have a harder time pushing this type of hand.  Lose players get called often by other players as you never know what they are betting on.  As stated earlier this type of hand needs the correct betting strategy and the courage to play it right.

TagsHansen, losing session, Negreanu, poker players, poker tournaments, tournaments online, winning session

See also

• Better Players can be Bluffed
  The one rule of poker that new players have a difficult time learning is that it is not a sin to lay down the winning hand after the river card is dealt.  Players who never do this are not yet as good a player as they can be or should be. Good players can be [...]
• Third Way to Poker Tournaments and The Satellite game
  There have been two ways to get into poker tournaments up to now.  A player could pay the full price and enter the tournament of their choice.  The other way was to win a seat in a satellite tournament that you paid an entry fee of say $100 and won first prize in a tournament [...]