Doyles Online Poker Room

You need to understand that with no limit hold ‘em smallish pocket pairs are really only good for implied odds. What you’re hoping is to hit a set and bust someone’s AA or KK…or even a flopped top pair.

There is a time for an all in move pre flop with 77 or lower. That is tourney time when your stack dives underneath ten times the BB. If you’re playing a ring game…don’t do it. Let’s use an example in a cash game.

1-2 dollar with your’s and everyone elses stack size 100. You push under the gun with 77. Two things happen…everyone folds or some one calls.

Everyone folds you win $3. If some one calls, what do you think they called you with? Ninety percent of people or better won’t call off $100 with 6-6 or a pair worse than that…in fact they probably won’t call it off with pairs 10-10 or better. Basically, if they call you at best you’re a coinflip….probably they have a better pair than you. Do you want to risk your whole stack on at best a coinflip in the hope of winning three bucks?

I know it is frustrating to fold after the flop and lose the blind every time you miss, which you’ll do one out of eight times. But, remember, your goal is not to win pots, but to win money…that is a losing proposition to get heavily involved preflop with a small pair. Flop the set, and get paid off by the donks.

Good luck, man!!