how to play small pairs...

[Chopper]

in general, i want to ask how you all play your small pairs from early position...22-66.

the three strategies i can think of are: 1) limp only and set hunt, 2) call small raises up to 3x and set hunt, 3) RFI your normal 4-5x to blow out any junk, other small pairs, and get paid off on a hand no one can read.

at least those seem to be the ways i see them played and wondered what the consensus was...

please elaborate if you decide to answer and, as always, thanks a million.

[EricE]

#2 and #3 both have their merits. This subject has been discussed at extreme length. Do a search to find some answers.

[Lodogg]

I limp in from early position and will call a raise if one of my opponent(s) stack are more than 8x the raise. and I don't ever raise with these hands in EP, because it is more of a drawing hand. I would raise from LP if I was first to the pot. You really want to get in as cheap as possible, hit a set, and break someone.

[Lukie]

#2 and #3 both have their merits. This subject has been discussed at extreme length. Do a search to find some answers.

I don't think this subject or KK v possible AA scenarios have ever come up on FTR...

[Staple Gun]

yea, but it is a very important thing to discuss.

I'd link you to some older discussions of it but i'm to lazy. sorry

[Fnord]

I limp in from early position

What else are you limping? I would limp too, but if half the table has a clue then Shania gets very upset.

[Irisheyes]

Shania gets very upset.

I think someone spends too much time on foreign message boards!

[Silly String]

I'd link you to some older discussions of it but i'm to lazy. sorry

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=83
There you go.

[r8ed]

I limp in from early position

What else are you limping? I would limp too, but if half the table has a clue then Shania gets very upset.

Not that I don't do this, but if I see some tight player limp EP and then call my raise, I'm very wary of a set hunter and play the rest of the hand with that in mind.

[natdang]

Implied odds if you set here are potentially huge - I'm calling anything less than 8xBB pf.

[DrDrei]

Interesting discussion. I tend to limp these in early position too, and call a raise, but I could easily see how this would be a glaring tell to anyone with a clue, since I don't really limp any other hands from early position -- or when I do, it's with the intention of reraising a raise, or folding to a raise, not calling.

I think if you start doing this with AA-JJ from early position too and trapping when you're raised, that would vary it up some. Either that, or we need to start raising them, but I don't feel like that's the ideal play -- when set hunting, you want multiple opponents in the pot to pay you off.

Maybe a mixture of half raises, half limps from early position with any pocket pair? With half reraises, half calls for JJ-AA if someone raises you?

I can't really think of anything else worth limping in early position and calling a reraise with...

[Lodogg]

You make a lot of good points about mixing it up in EP, but I think that at the lower stakes the opponents aren't thinking about this. For lower limits I don't think mixing it up is necessary.