How to play Pocket pairs?

[latvian7]

Hi, been starting to play Sit n Gos for about week, but my biggest problem is ''Pocket Pairs'' that is where i lose most of my chips..
I can't figure how to play em, for example i have 10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] or lower, i usualy raise it 4 bb, but flop brings something big like K, A, Q, J almost everytime and rarely i get my set.In the end i just lose those 4bb, how should i play em? Should i just call with them?

P.S. Sorry, im new member, if this is allready answered, thanks in advance

[Hand_Crasher]

It would be better if you plug some example hands. It's hard to give a too generalist advice. But usually, limp small PP on levels 1 and 2, fold to raise, unless it's a minraise.

[lemmoh]

in generell its better to limp(call) with pocket pairs 22+ in the early stages
of a sit and go for set-value. I would raise JJ in good positions (MP, CO, BTN).
you dont want to loose chips early with small and medium pocket pairs, so try to see a cheap flop.

[NoahL]

I throw away low pockets in EP. Limp in LP but not when the blinds go up .

Basically, I try to raise small, play small pots gather chips and try to be as uncontested as possible regardless of the hand. I don't mind folding 99 in ep if the blinds are low as long as I can steal a blind later.

[Poker Clif]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi, been starting to play Sit n Gos for about week, but my biggest problem is ''Pocket Pairs'' that is where i lose most of my chips..
I can't figure how to play em, for example i have 10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] or lower, i usualy raise it 4 bb, but flop brings something big like K, A, Q, J almost everytime and rarely i get my set.In the end i just lose those 4bb, how should i play em? Should i just call with them?

P.S. Sorry, im new member, if this is allready answered, thanks in advance

[/ QUOTE ]

First, is your 4bb a standard raise? I hope that you're aren't raising differently with pairs than you are with other hands, thus giving villians a read.

Second, I agree pretty much with all the other posts. I would treat a small pair as a speculative hand, such as small sutied connectors or suited ace-rag. If you can limp from late position and get it in cheap, fine.

You don't want to go in with 33 in early position, get a raise or reraise + two callers, and have no choice but to throw it away.

Of course, everything depends on the table and your reads. But in general, I will play JJ and maybe TT from an early position, 99 from middle position, every other pair is a late position limp.

[FourthWin]

I disagree with just throwing away PPs in EP, especially early in a tourney. If I have 20+ bbs, I'd limp from EP and call up to a 3x bb raise with 2s-8s almost 85% of the time. 9s-Js, maybe 4x bb if there's more than 1 person in the pot. Obviously, Qs and Ks are situation dependent (probably an open raise) and As are more likely to raise.

I wouldn't raise 10s in EP, and would probably not from anything but CO and Button. 4s is fine, but, depending on how the table plays and your image, you might have to go more to get value. You want to minimize the chances you're going to get called by Ace/rag type hands and have your pair spoiled on the flop. Best thing that can happen is that a) board comes under 10, and they check to you, you throw out a bet and they fold or b) something on the board scares you, you bet, they call, the turn comes with no scare, they check, you bet, they fold or c) you hit a set and they hit something, too, you race, and they don't hit a straight or some such.

You are building value with the 4x raise. You want to get a caller. Hitting a set is a real bonus, but is a 9-1 chance (or so).

But you want to build value for you, not for someone else. Putting your 3 extra bbs in the pot just makes it more attractive for someone else. If you're planning on folding when an overcard hits, think about what you want to get with your bet (do you want a fold? Then increase it to as much as you think will drive out Ace/rag type hands. Do you want a set? Then, I'd suggest, decrease it to as low as you think you can without getting re-raised; you'll have to know who you are raising and the "table standard" for this.)

This is all dependent on having some extra BBs to play with. But, as Cliff suggested, I wouldn't raise 4x BB just because "that's what you do with PP." Think about the likely effect of the raise, and then the outcome you want, and figure out how to adjust the raise to an outcome you can live with.