Learning how to correctly play small pocket pairs from early position can make you a much better player in the long run. I see so many people play small pocket pairs incorrectly, and you don’t want to be one of these people. I have a recent hand I’m going to break down while explaining some of the mistakes you need to stop making.
What Counts as a Small Pocket Pair?
I would probably say anything under pocket 7’s. This could be debatable but for the sake of simplifying things that what I’m going to call it. Plus, the situation I’m breaking down has to do with pocket 7’s.
Open Raising vs Limping
If you are first or second to act in a hand with anything between 22-77 I still recommend open raising with small pocket pairs. The reason you want to do this is because it still gives you a chance to continuation bet the flop even if you miss against one or two opponents assuming no one 3 bet you pre flop. For example, let’s say I opened raised with 22 and one other player called me, and the flop comes out something like A47. I could continuation bet in this spot and a lot of the time get my opponent to fold assuming he isn’t holding an ace because I open raised from early position which shows strength.
One the flip side I would never recommend limping with a small pocket pair. It sort of gives your hand away to other players at the table and they can then put you on a hand like low-suited connectors or a small pocket pair. And if you are in a later position just calling with a small pair is also ideal.
Missing The Flop
In my situation with pocket 7’s you could see I clearly missed the flop, but it also wasn’t a bad flop for us. It was a 646 board with a club draw. Since I wasn’t holding a club and 2 other players were in this hand it is somewhat likely one of these guys could be on a flush draw here. The other scenario is that both opponents missed the flop and have over cards. In this spot I still prefer checking to see a turn card, but player 4 raised to $25 and our hand in this spot was too strong to fold. Plus, we could still hit a 7 on the turn and he could be representing a flush draw as well.
Raising Turn Against 1-2 Opponents
Instead of playing my pocket sevens passively I decided to get aggressive and turn my hand into a semi bluff. Player 4 leading out didn’t make a lot of sense to me because if he was holding a 6 he likely would have checked it and slow played it. Coming out aggressive on this flop didn’t make a lot of sense to me so I decided to re-raise and isolate against player 5 who didn’t have a whole lot left anyway.
He decided to call my re raise and turn over A4 holding just a pair of 4’s. All I needed to do was dodge a 4 or Ace going to turn and river which I did. My decision in this hand might have seemed a bit aggressive but I took my time making this decision before going for the re raise jam.
Should You Set Mine with Small Pairs?
Yes, I think it’s worth doing especially when you are playing deep like I was in this $500 cash game. But I also think that playing small pairs passively pre flop is a big mistake and will end up costing you much more long term. You always need to adjust depending on how people are playing at whatever game you are sitting in, but I still recommend raising from early position with low pairs. If you get 3 bet okay fine, make the call and see if you can hit a set or navigate the situation based on the flop.
Common Mistakes With Small Pocket Pairs
One of the biggest mistakes players make with small pocket pairs is becoming too passive before the flop. In early position, I prefer to open raise small pocket pairs rather than limp. Raising gives you a chance to win the blinds immediately and also keeps your range from becoming too predictable.
Another mistake is overreacting when somebody has already raised. If I’m out of position with a small pocket pair, I generally prefer to just call the raise rather than 3-bet and inflate the pot. The main goal is to see a flop at a reasonable price and potentially hit a set.
Players also get into trouble by refusing to let go after missing the flop. Pocket 44 might look decent before the flop, but on a board like A-K-9, there usually isn’t much reason to fight for a large pot.
Finally, don’t automatically stack off just because you flop a set. Sets are extremely strong, but coordinated boards can create straights and flushes quickly. Small pocket pairs are profitable when you stay aggressive preflop, control the pot when necessary, and avoid forcing marginal postflop situations.
Final Thoughts
In this hand I played my pocket 7’s more aggressive that I normally would with two other players in the hand. But because player 4’s line didn’t make a ton of sense to me I decided to be more aggressive with it. If he did end up calling us for our whole stack the only thing that really made sense to me was that he was on some type of flush draw and our hand would of held up anyway.
And I also wasn’t putting player 4 on some type of large pair based on how things happened pre flop. So that’s why I decided to jam into both players. If I had to play this hand over 10 out of 10 times I would have done the same thing. Fortunately, my small pair held up this time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you always raise small pocket pairs from early position?
I generally prefer to open raise small pocket pairs instead of limping. Raising gives you a chance to win the blinds preflop and makes your overall opening range harder to read.
Should you call a raise with a small pocket pair out of position?
Yes, calling can often make sense when the price is reasonable and stacks are deep enough. I usually prefer calling rather than 3-betting because the main goal is to see a flop without building an unnecessarily large pot.
What are the odds of flopping a set?
You will flop a set roughly 12% of the time when holding a pocket pair playing poker, or about once every eight flops.
Should you keep betting if you miss your set?
Not automatically. Small pocket pairs in poker become difficult to play on boards containing multiple overcards. Sometimes a continuation bet works, but often checking and controlling the pot is better.
Are small pocket pairs profitable?
They can be, especially when you play them aggressively preflop and avoid overplaying them after the flop. Their biggest value comes from disguised sets and winning smaller pots when opponents miss.
Which small pocket pairs are hardest to play?
Pocket 22 through 55 can be especially tricky because almost every flop contains overcards, making postflop decisions more difficult.
Edward Pao is an online poker and casino affiliate marketer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has referred over 30,000 players to major poker platforms and specializes in reviewing the best online poker sites and casino bonuses.