Pair of 3's

[Vaquero]

How small does a pair need to be for me to fold it off the bat? Do most people fold small pairs?

[bobf111]

It can be tricky when your dealt a small pair pre-flop in Texas Holdem. By small pair I mean from pocket 2s up to pocket 6s. These aren't easy cards to fold but if you don't hit a set on the flop, they're very difficult to win with.

Here's a guide to maximising your pre-flop small pairs and I've found this is a decent strategy when playing Texas Holdem poker to maximise the potential of the cards whilst retaining a folding strategy to minimise any losses that small pairs can invariably lead to.

Fold pre-flop when there are more than 5 players left to act in the betting round. This includes the small and big blinds.

If you have less than 30 times the big blind left in your chip stack, fold. The odds aren't in your favour enough to play and put yourself short-stacked.


If you have more than 30 times the big blind then you shouldn't be putting in large raises. Depending on the players round the table, ie., if they're fairly loose, you may find a small raise in order but really in this case you should be trying to get to the flop for a little cost as possible and keeping as many players in the pot as possible. If you hit a set on the flop then you can maximise the pots value, if not, fold.

Remember, with a small pair, you have to hit a set on the flop or the odds are firmly stacked against you and folding is order of the day. However, if you make a set on the flop, don't slow play the betting round. Probably betting the value of the pot is about right. Slow playing at this stage will give you a smaller pot and will keep more players in the hand who will be trying to better your hand.

As with all Texas Holdem strategies, you must also take into account the players at the table. Hitting the set on the flop with a low pair might be ok but if the rock on the table is suddenly betting big, you'd better weight up what they might have and what you choices are in order to keep your chips!

[RobbieLePop]

It really depends on how much is costs to see the flop.

If you have 10 10 in hand or above, then you should probably see the flop regardless of cost.
If it is anything below, you really don't want to be calling anything that is 3x greater than the big blind.

Keep in mind that hitting your set is around 1/9 chance. Whilst those odds are not great, if you do manage to hit the set, you've probably got the best hand on the board, and you can raise a lot with other people calling as they think they'll have you beat with top pair.

Future potential of earnings on a set is the only reason I'd call a crappy pair. If you're playing on an extremely tight table, it might not even be worth a call.

[BigA1]

Bobf111 gave some very good advice. I did not know about the 30 times blind rule but it makes sense to save your money for a possible better hand. Thanks Bob!

[jockney]

Thanks Bob. I have been struggling on getting a strategy on playing low pockets. I am going to keep your reccomendations very much in mind.