How To Play Small Pocket Pairs Pre-flop
Sitting in a late position and carrying pocket aces into the flop is a great opportunity to not only steal blinds, but also to draw others into the pot. Big pairs make the pre-flop action easy to toy with. However, playing small pairs pre-flop isn’t nearly as simple, even if you have position on everyone else.
Today, we’ll explain how to ride your small pocket pairs into the flop and how to know when it’s better to fold. Your chip stack, position, and raise strategy all play key roles in leading the table and having a chance to flop your set. For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to consider deuces through sixes “small.”
Small Pairs With A Small Chip Stack
Let’s suppose you’re in an early position coming off $2-$4 blinds. You have a small chip stack compared to everyone else, so you don’t have a lot of room to chase flops. You’re dealt pocket fives.
In this scenario, there’s no reason to fold (yet) and calling is a bad idea. If you call, you’ll lose control and have to play catch-up to the action coming back around to you. A good tactic is to throw out a standard raise (i.e. $12). By doing so, you’re sending a message that you holding pocket cards worth a few chips.
If everyone folds off your raise, you’ll walk with the blinds. That’s not bad. An even better situation is when a few players call. That gives you a chance to make a set off the flop. If someone reraises, you’re better off folding. Leaking a few chips is better than busting on a wing and a prayer.
If you’re in a late position with small pairs, you have an advantage. But, that doesn’t mean you’re invincible, even if the action is folding to you. The blinds could be holding stronger pocket cards. If you overbet the flop, you could be asking for trouble.
Small Pairs With A Large Chip Stack
More chips equals more flexibility. You can often use your stack to slowly siphon chips from the smaller stacks by bullying them pre-flop. However, your early position play with small pairs should be the same as if your stack was small. A standard raise off the big blind will push a few players out and give you a chance to see the flop.
If you’re playing in the middle position, watch the action coming toward you, especially when it’s coming from smaller stacks. A large raise from a small stack is a red flag. If you chase it, you’ll get sucked into the flop. If the small stack raiser flops his or her set, you’ll be staring down the barrel of an all-in scenario. That could get expensive given your small pair.
Being in late position with a large chip stack gives you a huge natural advantage. If other players are limping in, push out with a raise at 4 or 5 times the BB. That sets the tone going into the flop. Regardless of what the flop brings, you can fire your second bullet using your position strength and stack as leverage. If you’re lucky, you’ll flop a nice set.
If the action is raising and reraising coming toward you pre-flop, it’s probably better to fold your small pair. Let the others fight it out.
That’s a good primer for playing small pocket pairs pre-flop. The key to profiting from them is to realize how your chip stack, position, and raise strategy can influence the action. Often, that’s all it takes to steal the blinds or scoop the pot.
To put the strategy we’ve described into practice, visit Bodog Poker. They’re one of our top-rated poker rooms and boast steady, brisk traffic across their tables. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read our extensive Bodog Poker review as well as a round-up of Bodog bonus promotions.
Also, we’d like to invite you to join our KickAssPoker League in time for the coming season.
Bodog Qualifiers to the 2009 WSOP
Each year there seem to be a small handful of sites that offer some unique ways to qualify for the World Series of Poker. Sure all the big sites have qualifiers and many of them are great value but many players find it easier to qualify on the smaller sites.
This year, Bodog.com seems poised to be on of the best opportunities for many of the recreational poker players to qualify. In 2008, KickAssPoker.com league member WSOPJoe won his seat in the World Series of poker at Bodog, so lets keep the tradition alive.
Here are the different Bodog WSOP Qualifiers.
Benefits of Qualifying through Bodog
- Smaller Qualifying Fields
- Small to Large Qualifier paths
- Sit-N-Go’s to Last Chance Events
- 100% Bonus up to $500 with Bodog Bonus
*WSOP and World Series of Poker and related trademarks are property of Harrahs and related brands, and they get their panties in a wad if you don’t clarify that on every page where you mention them, so this is to do that so they don’t bitch and moan about it more.
How To Use Pot Odds To Improve Your Game
Winning at poker isn’t just about going in with a kick ass hand. It’s about bankroll management, strategy, and probabilities. When you hear about somebody consistently pulling down pots and coming out on top over the the long haul, it’s a good bet they know how to calculate pot odds. Today, we’re going to give you a quick primer.
What follows is not meant to be a comprehensive course. We don’t have enough room here. If you’d like to see an in-depth treatment, read this article on pot odds. You can also read an overview of poker odds. In the meantime, here are the basics…
Common Terms Used
You’ll hear a couple of common phrases thrown around when folks talk about poker odds and probabilities. So, let’s clear up the confusion by defining them.
Outs - The number of available cards that can improve your hand.
Pot Odds - A value that represents the size of the current pot versus your call.
A lot of good poker players will also mention implied odds, bet odds, and other terms. But, we’re keeping things simple today.
A Little Pot Odds Math
For those of you who flunked math in school, now’s the time to learn. Unless you plan to always go into the turn on a wing and a prayer, you’re going to need to perform a little math in your head. This is what the pros do. Here’s an example of how pot odds work (and again, we’re keeping it simple):
Let’s suppose your hole cards are ace queen suited. The flop is showing a jack, nine, and four. You’ve got a drawing hand. It’s not necessarily strong, but if the turn or river bring a king or ten, you’ll make your straight.
First, let’s determine your outs. There are 4 kings and 4 tens out there. So, you have 8 outs. Double that number and add one. That gives you 17. That means there is roughly a 17% chance of pulling an out.
Now, let’s calculate your pot odds. Suppose there’s $20 in the pot and the bet coming at you is $4. Add them together to get $24. Then, divide the call by that amount. In other words, divide $4 by $24. Your pot odds would be 16.67%.
As a general rule of thumb, if your chance of pulling an out is higher than your pot odds, call. If not, fold. In the example above, 17% is obviously higher than 16.67%, so you should call.
You might be thinking to yourself, “I’m not gonna do that each time the bet’s coming at me. That’s too much work!” First, if you don’t do it, you’ll be at the mercy of the players who do. Second, after you get used to calculating pot odds, it’ll come naturally to you.
To get some practice, visit BodogLife.com and open an account. It’s a great learning environment because the traffic is consistent and the skill level at a lot of the tables is pretty low. You can also read our Bodog Poker review.
Once you learn how to figure out your pot odds, you’ll have a distinct edge over other players who refuse to do the math.
How To Improve Your Poker Game At Bodog Poker
The more popular online poker gets, the more new players there are in the high-profile poker rooms. For example, when you visit BodogLife.com, you’ll notice that a lot of the players there aren’t very good. The tables usually have at least a 35-40% flop percentage and sometimes much higher.
That’s useful for both beginning and experienced poker players. Here’s why…
Why Bodog’s Bad Poker Players Are Good For Everyone
For you experienced folks, you’re probably thinking, “it’s time to go fishing.” And you’re right. The tables at Bodog Poker are filled with players who don’t know what they’re doing. They see the pros playing on television and think it’s easy. What’s easy is drawing ‘em into the river bet when they’re playing a weak hand.
Some of you beginning players might be thinking, “I’m not gonna play at Bodog Life. I’ll get massacred by the experienced guys.”
Not so fast. Cutting your teeth at the Bodog tables is a great education if you’re new to the game. Not only can you watch how the occasional shark plays and bets, but you can also learn from the mistakes others are making.
Visit Bodog Poker to get an online poker education. And read our extensive Bodog Life review.
You’ll see novices who bluff every hand. You’ll see fish who become so predictable that if they don’t fold outright, you know they’re playing the nuts. You’ll see calling stations who can’t help but call players down on every turn.
Seeing these players in action is valuable. Remember, online poker is more than just playing the cards you’re dealt. You’re playing the people around you. That means you have to watch ‘em, profile ‘em, and take notes. That’s the way you improve your own poker game. Before you know it, you’ll visit Bodog Poker to go on your own fishing expeditions (hey, the new players over there have to learn somehow, right?).
Online Poker Tips At BodogLife
The ironic thing is that Bodog Poker has a huge section on their site devoted to poker tips. You’ll learn everything from betting strategy, positioning, and getting staked for the land-based tournaments. From what we’ve seen at the tables, most of the players aren’t reading that section!
Of course, we provide our own set of free poker strategies on this site and recommend that you read them. But, the bottom line is that playing the fish at Bodog can be a fantastic way to boost your poker skills and build your bankroll.
Visit Bodog Life.com (they’re open to USA players) and start improving your poker game.
Get In On BodogLife’s 110% Signup Match
Last time, we mentioned how you can take advantage of PokerStars’ FPP and VIP Club (click here to read that post). Today, we want to remind some of you about BodogLife’s 110% signup bonus match. If you’re already playing at BodogLife, you’ll know why we like them. Fantastic bonuses and player rewards. You can read our full review of their poker room here.
For those of you who haven’t taken the time to jump start your winnings, we’re going to explain how BodogLife’s 110% signup bonus works.
Your First Deposit
The moment you deposit funds into your account, you’ll receive an immediate 10% bonus upfront. So, if you put $200 into your account, you’ll instantly see $220. But, that’s only the icing on the cake. Your real bonus kicks in when you start playing on the tables. You’ll earn BodogLife Poker Points for every poker game you’re in. The reason that’s important is because BodogLife will give you a $1 cash bonus for each 10 points you earn (up to a 100% match of your original deposit).
Let’s talk about the points.
How Your Poker Points Work
First, you don’t need to win games to earn your points; you just need to play. And there are a few ways to do that…
- Ring Games: If you play a ring game and contribute toward the rake, you’ll earn points. The number that you’ll earn depends on the rake, so check BodogLife’s site for the details.
- Tournaments: Whenever you play in a tournament and pay fees, you’ll earn 3 points for every $1 of the fees you paid. For example, if the fee is $10, you’ll earn an instant 30 points.
- Playing Time: Each hour you play earns another point. Play for 5 hours and you’ll earn 5 points. By the way, you can’t sit out and earn points. You have to actually play.
You’ll be surprised by how quickly the points start building. 5 points here, 30 points there, and soon, you’ll be cashing them in for your 100% cash bonus match.
An Easy Example
We’ll give you a quick example…
Imagine visiting BodogLife, opening your account, and depositing $200. You’ll get the $20 bump right away from the upfront 10% match. Now, let’s say that you play a bunch of ring games and tournaments over the next 30 days. In doing so, you earn 200 points.
Open the software, hit the “Account” tab and you’ll see a “Points to Cash” tab. Once you hit it, you’ll see a “Convert” button.
And you can do the rest.
Again, if you’ve never played at BodogLife, you’ll want to see what you’ve been missing. Click here to visit the site and get your 110% matching signup bonus.
