Limping small pairs in tourenys

Poker Strategy
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Limping small pairs in tourneys

You really do not want to be doing a lot of limping in tourneys.

If have a hand like 33 and you want to open limp it(be the first to limp) or you are over limping(limping after others have limped) you want to make sure that the stack sizes of the players that are or could be in the hand are at least 30 big blinds.

You need to have stacks this deep to make it worth while the times you hit your set. If you have 33 and limp with 10 blinds and have to fold it really hurts your future chances in the tourney.

When you limp instead of raise you are giving up fold equity(the value of getting your opponents to fold), initiative(making an action that suggests you have the best hand), and the power of position(the ability to act after your opponents, where you have the most information- given you have seen how your opponents have played).

There is an exception to the 30 big blind rule -when you have less than 10 big blinds and have Aces. Then you can limp and call off trying to maximize the amount of chips you will win.

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True exception is limping with AA, see my topic how I hung myself with AA.

but I agree with your small pairs option

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Hi TeUnit

I agree that limp folding small pairs when the stack sizes are shallow its basically torching.

But early to midd stages when the blinds are less shallow you want to be seeing as many flops as possible with small pair when you can see a flop for cheap.

I dont like folding small pairs but when your 10-20 bbs deep it has to be done.

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I can agree that having a short stack, a low-pair limp is inefficient in most cases and can cost you dearly. If you don’t see the coveted card on the flop, you simply give your blind to your opponent and deprive yourself of one of the future chances to play with a stronger starting hand. But, a lot depends on the position and actions of your opponents, as well as on what stacks they have. If you are on the small blind, then why not limp to see the flop. If you are in a late position and everyone has dropped cards in front of you, and the opponents on the blinds have a stack approximately equal to yours, this may also be a reason for a limp.
I’m a fan of limp in general, so I won’t be able to objectively reason on this topic.:see_no_evil::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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if we are talking about live poker you are probably right . but online poker is a different story , in many aspects . So sometimes you might consider limp with a very small pocket pair , even with very few blinds , so as to get pot odds and make then the next right move . maybe reshove or shove to a bet , i have seen such moves in online poker . in live poker such decisions would hurt sb on the long run , but as i said online is a different story

so online there are many exceptions . but yeah generally you have to follow some rules , and yeah , you have to limp small pocket pairs carefully , as cheaply as possibly with the right stack , with many players in the hand . and if the pocket pair is 88 or higher it better , so as to win a set over another player who might have a smaller set of
33s or 44s . with a bigger pocket hand like 88 or 99 or higher you should probably bet , not limp , small bet

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I agree that you really should not limp too much in tournaments as a rule, but the reality of the little online poker I have been playing, limping is quite prevalent. Raising often does not deter players from calling with any two cards.

In a “normal” tournament, I agree with you that limp-folding small pairs is a recipe for failure. As with suited connectors, small pairs are good to open limp or over limp when stacks are deep. You give yourself a chance to win a big pot when you hit your hand while only risking one BB. If you don’t hit, you can easily fold. When your stack is 10 BBs or less, I think you have only the option of shoving or folding regardless of your hand.

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This evening the dealer blessed me with 33 three times in about 20 hands. I dumped 'em all.

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It’s a good topic. Tonight I played a Freeroll MTT whereupon one player entered every single pot with a limp. Every hand a limp. I couldn’t take it anymore. Everyone just stopped playing and sat out. It was stupid.

That was the one where I kept getting low pocket pairs.

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On this site when I get a pocket pair, I immediately think to myself, “two other players also have pairs” and proceed accordingly.

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I agree about not limping small pairs in MTTs. I don’t like it at all when having a small stack, it’s a big mistake.

However at the early stages of a tournament if there are 2-3 players before me that have limped, I will limp behind with a baby pair if my stack is 18-20bb+. If I hit my set there is a very good chance that I will double up my stack. Also position play an important factor. If I am in the CO or BTN I am way more eager to overlimp with 55-22. Small Blind is questionable, but big blind is very likely for me to limp behind. What I would never do is open-limping small pairs, unless I also want to make some tricky play with AA.

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You just want to make sure the juice is worth the squeeze. When you limp a small pair you will only hit a set 16% of the time, so if the effective stack sizes are not 30bbs you wont make up for all the times you miss - when you hit. While its pretty easy to fold your 33 when you miss on the flop, you are giving away valuable chips.

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I just call or fold a small pair-you will lose usually, unless you hit a set or better, odds are 1 in 8 of hitting a set on the flop.

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Hello

With small pairs, caution is therefore required. The first rule is that when faced with a very strong raise, it is strongly recommended to fold them. Indeed, a big raise most certainly means a big hand (AK, AK, AJ, KQ, or pair above 10).
In the best case scenario, you’re looking at a 50-50 split. I say in the best case scenario.

Then playing your small pairs depends on your position, as well as the bet of others. In early position, don’t hesitate to throw. There are a lot of people left to speak after you and if you are raised, you will know that you will have to put a lot of money in the pot and, what’s more, you will certainly be first to speak after the flop, which is not an advantage.

In intermediate position, if no one has raised before you, it may be interesting to try to see a cheap flop. There is rarely anything juicier than seeing a flop with 5-5, having two people with you, and encountering an A K 5 flop. It is indeed very difficult to guess that you have hit your set. On the other hand, you know, since your opponents have not raised, that they certainly do not have AK, AA or KK. All we have to do is pray that one of them, or even both, has Ax or Kx. From then on, you can dream of the jackpot.

In late position, if no one has raised before you, having a small pair is a great opportunity to pick up a few chips easily. A big raise can allow you to make the callers fold before you, the fact that they only called certainly shows that they do not have a strong hand, as well as the blinds. If you get re-raised, watch out. Some players do not give up their chips easily, and may very well believe you are a bluff, given your ideal position. Here, your reading of the player will make the difference.

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Raise Em or toss em, your choice depending on the situation

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but I wouldn’t fold em much, less you have to, they’re beating ak, kq j10s, blah blah blah, preflop.

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Here’s your basic reason why you DO NOT fold small pairs, or any pair for that matter, unless you have to.Hand #1063965138 - Replay Poker

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LOL, aww, so they get got lucky (12.5% chance) and flopped a set and beat you:)… That set also could of lost to many other hands with that board-i think u proved WHY to muck a small pair lol

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I think it just proves how important position is (preflop position in this case).
With a small pocket pair you are basically flipping against any two cards, and way behind better pairs. Your odds of winning decrease rapidly when more people enter the pot - which is true for every hand, but even more so for small pocket pairs.
For that reason, small pocket pairs are normally folds when deep, and shift to all-in’s when stacks get shallow, especially from early position.
Calling from the small blind here is probably not ideal, but seems ok given the hand is likely to be heads up. Post flop position does matter too though, given that you will almost never have the nuts with a small pocket pair, unless you’re lucky enough to make quads.

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Limping small pairs in tournaments -

in my opinion it is always a goog strategy to play these hands not too aggressive because if you dont have position and your stack is small you can risk your tournament life with playing this one hand!
Hands like 22 till 66 arent easy to play because on flop there is a high possibility that there are 2 community cards that are higher than yours, so if villain has 10-J and hits one of them on board and makes bet before you - you have to fold if you didnt hit the board and wanna play bingo.

I would play this small pairs if nobody makes a preflop bet higher than 2BB - when you hit the board and have trips then play it cool and slow if villain shows strength with a high pair but be prepared for flush draws and straight draws - if board isn´t dangerous then push and try to value bet on turn and analyse villains range that you can make a good check-raise or bet on river if you have the best hand.

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Great thread. I’m learning a lot from reading the forum.

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