limping with a low pair

in general i was wondering:

when you limp in with a low pair, do you want to avoid this in early position (first three after BB) ?

also, if you limp in with a 1xBB, then someone raises you, how do you make the decision to call... i'm thinking it depends on how much the raise is (lets say no more than 1 or 2xBB), as well as how many people are deciding to stay in as well as what your position is right ?

if only two people decide to call, why bother as there wont be enough people to take money from if you flop the set - correct?

Originally Posted by bspahn

when you limp in with a low pair, do you want to avoid this in early position (first three after BB) ?

yes, if the table has a history of not letting people limp

also, if you limp in with a 1xBB, then someone raises you, how do you make the decision to call... i'm thinking it depends on how much the raise is (lets say no more than 1 or 2xBB), as well as how many people are deciding to stay in as well as what your position is right ?

standard raise (3-4x BB) with 1 other caller is about the odds I need... might be too loose for some

if only two people decide to call, why bother as there wont be enough people to take money from if you flop the set - correct?

also keep in mind how much money the people who are in still have. If they have 1/4 your stack, its not worth it but if they can double you up....

- sed

your responses are all for low pocket pairs?

i would think it's simply not worth going in unless there's many callers, am I wrong here?

If you had 33 and called, then someoen raised it by 2 or 3xBB then you'd stay in with that 33 ?

I like at least a 3-way pot to call a standard raise. The implied odds are there since usually trips are very well hidden.

Pretty much any pocket pair 22-JJ you are looking to improve by the showdown. Or get a very favorable flop for the higher pairs.

You have just as much chance of hitting trips with 33 as you do with 66 and an unimproved 66 is only slightly more likely to win a showdown than a 33.

- sed

low poker pairs: limp or get in cheaply. Make your set and get as much money in the pot as possible. Otherwise, fold.

-'rilla

fair enough, i generally figure if there's enough people around i could call a slight raise say i'm playing 10c table and the raise is to 20c, but if everybody starts folding why should i go in against generally a much higher heads up hand right.

if there are 3-5 people on a 10 player table on a slight raise (like 20c) then if you get the trips you get more money as well right.

if there's a raise of more than a BB why bother going in though with a low pair ?

edit-> also, say you get your set on the flop, is it generally correct to put in a large bet (say bet the pot) when there's a potential flush or straight draw, and otherwise keep the bets low or even try a check-raise ?

Originally Posted by bspahn

if there's a raise of more than a BB why bother going in though with a low pair ?

edit-> also, say you get your set on the flop, is it generally correct to put in a large bet (say bet the pot) when there's a potential flush or straight draw, and otherwise keep the bets low or even try a check-raise ?

Read up on implied odds and you'll see why to bother.

Yes, sounds reasonable.

- sed

so in general what am i looking out for preflop with a relatively low pair where I should not see the flop?

ie what kind of betting would tell me that i should not see, say a 3xBB preflop bet, even if there are 2-3 people going to the flop ?

also, how can you be certain that others will see the flop if you're say only the 2nd person to call (say UTG+2 puts in 30c (10c BB)) - would i call that with 22 or 55 ?

i always limp, then let it go if there's a single big raise. if there's a 4xBB raise, and two other people call, what the heck, you might flop a full house. the implied odds will pay you off. say if the total cost to get in is less than 1/8 the total preflop pot, go for it. you'll only flop the set 1 in eight times, so it needs to pay off more than 8 times that inital investment to be profitable. On the other hand if four people see a raised flop, you can win a huge pot. Calling down the AK who hits the Ace and goes all in, while you hit your set, is pretty satisfying as well.

*disclaimer* i'm not a great player, i probably pay too much to see flops with pocket pairs, but i think the're money winners for me in poker tracker.

it's the implied odds that you win with low pocket pairs. it's extremely rare that you have put in 1/8 or less of the pot preflop in this instance. it's the money you make flop and after that counts.

even if its a scenario where BB is 10c and 2 or 3 go in for a raised 30c let's say and you call (so 30c x 4 = $1.20) where you actually put in 1/4 of the money - if you get the set you're likely to make some good cash as the betting will increased relative to the pot size at this stage correct.