Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are

In the group of all Hold'em starting hands, pocket pairs are probably the most fascinating group to study. It is because this very group can be so powerful when played correctly, yet harm your profits severely if you get it wrong.

In this article, we'll try to dissect the strategy of playing pocket pairs in poker. We'll look at some of the most profitable lines with these hands and some of the biggest errors you should try to avoid at all costs.

If you are a complete beginner to poker, let's briefly go over what exactly the term "pocket pair" even means.

In poker at CasinoSafest.com, when you are dealt two cards of the same rank, such as 2-2 or A-A, you have been dealt a pocket pair. Clearly, the quality of these two hands is quite different, but they are in the same general category that I will address today. 

Types of Pocket Pairs & Their Values

Poker books and other instructional material typically categorize three primary subgroups of pocket pairs, which include:

• Premium pocket pairs (typically JJ – AA)
• Medium pockets (77 – TT)
• Small pocket pairs (66 and below)

There may be a few small differences in methods, where one will think of TT as a premium pair or 77 as a small one, but the above division is broadly accurate.

Breakdown of Pocket Pairs by Categories:

We already mentioned that are three major subcategories for all pocket pairs in poker. Now, we’ll look into each of these separately to identify their overall value and the best approach to playing it.

1. Premium Pocket Pairs

As the name would suggest, these are some of the most powerful preflop hands you can be dealt in Texas Hold'em. While pocket Jacks can still be somewhat marginal, depending on the situation, the other pairs in this range are extremely strong.

Even absolute poker novices are aware that being dealt QQ or better is what you'd call a good starting point.

The value of premium pocket pairs increases significantly as the number of players involved in the hand decreases, as you’re far less likely to get out-flopped by a single player.

Most of the time, your plan is to get as much money in as possible pre-flop. It is right for most general tournament situations and cash games where you are not too deep (100 – 150 big blinds).

As the stacks get deeper, your plan might be distinct, especially with the bottom of the range (JJ & QQ), but that is a whole other discussion.

2. Medium Pocket Pairs

It's hard to come up with an exact strategy for medium pocket pairs because they fall in this in-between area. 

The best advice here is to try to get heads-up to the flop. These hands can easily win pots without even having the advantage of flopping a set against a single opponent.

But if you do hit a flop with several players, you almost always need to hit a set in order to win the pot and will be folding almost all the time.

Also, the play somewhat situationally depends on where you have to play medium pocket pairs as premiums and sometimes attempt set mining. The line above is a bit confusing so let's look at an example.

3. Small Pocket Pairs

Now we come to the range of what most players just mean when they refer to pocket pairs. 

Small pockets are probably some of the most difficult hands to play because they seem to have so much potential if you get the right flop but, in the meantime, that flop doesn't come anywhere near frequently enough as we would like.

Our default approach to small pocket pairs (77 – 22) is simple. We'd like to view the flop as cheaply as possible, flop a set, and obtain our opponent's stack when he has an overpair or flop a hand such as top pair – top kicker. 

Conclusion: Get The Most Out of Your Pocket Pairs

Hopefully, some of the strategic considerations in this article will allow you to play your pocket pairs better in the future. Keep in mind that these can be a powerful tool in your arsenal, but only if you play them well.

Be realistic in your expectations. If someone is not prone to stacking off light and is very conservative, don't delude yourself into thinking that you will be the one who gets all of their chips when you flop the set.

Stick to the advice from this article and always try to keep your eye on the ball as the hand progresses. There will be situations where you’ll need to let your opponents catch up, and there will be spots where getting all your chips in the middle is the right play.