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Are You Afraid of Small Pairs?
What are small pairs? In poker, small pairs are those pairs of 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's. For the more experienced players at the poker, small pairs are easy to fold, but not for the beginner.
A beginner poker player usually gets excited at the sight of a pocket small pair, for example, pocket 5's. He or she usually raises because he or she thinks that any pair is good at pre-flop.
However, poker experts know better than trusting their small pairs. They know that they can bet to see the flop and look if his/her small pair forms better hand. They also know that if it doesn't, then they should fold right away. Other more cautious poker players even fold their small pair even before the flop.
But really, when is the right time to play your small pair? Any poker expert will definitely advise you to bet on your small pair only when there are many players at the poker table. This is because the more the players at the poker table there are, the harder it gets to form anything, especially at the pre-flop. The cards are distributed to so many poker players that the chances of a good combination of hole cards get slimmer.
Therefore, if there are only about four players at the poker table or most especially if you are in a showdown, a small pocket pair becomes a very weak hand. This would be a good time to back off from the pot. There is a great possibility that another player at the poker table have already gotten a bigger pair at the pre-flop.
However, even if the crowd of players in the poker table is big, you can still play your small pair and make the most out of it. How? You can do this if you were betting last. Your late position gives you the advantage of seeing how many hands are still at play. If there weren't so many, then you can join in the pot. If almost all of the players at the poker table are still in play, you can still join in the pot if none had raised. This would be a perfect time to use your position.
If somebody had already raised, it would be wise that you fold. Remember that it would not be a good investment if you put your money on a hand of small pair, if it is possible that another player had already formed a better hand. Therefore, a small pair is not something you throw your money into.