Online Poker: How to Play Small Pocket Pairs

Having small pocket pairs when playing online poker is an interesting starting hand as they can win you a big pot when you flop a set. They are also a hand that can get you into trouble if you are not careful. Small pairs, (pocket hands of sixes or lower), can run into over-pairs and usually they are not going to be any good if you don’t flop a set. When you have small pocket pairs playing online poker you should treat them as a drawing hand, not a made hand. Online poker is very aggressive and you will not win very often in a showdown if you have just a small pocket pair.

You probably can’t even stay in the hand past the flop if you don’t flop a set. You can call a raise before the flop if a lot of other players are involved with your small pocket pair since the pot will be large, but you don’t want to be calling just a single raise very often. If you are heads-up with your small pocket pair against another player the best case scenario is that you are slight ahead but you are way behind bigger pairs. You really want a large pot when you are playing small pocket pairs.

The goal with a small pocket pair is to flop a set. You can win some good money with that set because oftentimes it is disguised. For example, on a flop of ace, ten, six when playing online poker, you would really have a hand that could pay well if you had a starting hand of a pair of sixes. It is important to remember when you do flop a set to not just sit back and check the action. Sets are really nice to flop but they are not unbeatable. You can still get outdrawn if someone is drawing to a straight or a flush.

The ideal way to play a small pocket pair at online poker rooms is to be cautious before the flop and aggressive after the flop. Some people will choose to try and trap with their set after the flop but the danger of losing a big hand is there by playing it passively. There is also the chance you won’t get any action at all. In today’s hyper-aggressive poker world, it is almost always better to bet than to check. And that even applies when you flop a set.