Handling medium pocket pairs
What would you do with medium pocket pairs (that is, from 8s to Jacks, let's say) if an "average-stacked" player (or two, for that matter) that you suspect has two overcards to your pocket pair was to limp or raise in early or middle position?? Let's assume that you are in late position (CO or button), that your stack covers the cost of 20-30 big blinds and that you are below average in the middle stage of a tourney. The table you're on has mostly tight calling stations on it.
When I first started playing online MTTs, I was eager to raise big in that spot, even if it meant going all-in.. But most of the time I was against two overcards and it went down to a coin-flip that I sometimes lost on the turn or on the river.. So I thought that maybe the optimal strategy for this kind of situation (where you need to make chips fast) was to just call or raise small (especially with the higher pairs), and then see what comes down on the flop.. If the flop doesn't look too threatening for my pair, that's where I raise, usually only to take down the pot..
So how do you approach this kind of situations with medium pocket pairs? I personally find them quite tricky to play and would appreciate your feedback on that.
Thanks
When I first started playing online MTTs, I was eager to raise big in that spot, even if it meant going all-in.. But most of the time I was against two overcards and it went down to a coin-flip that I sometimes lost on the turn or on the river.. So I thought that maybe the optimal strategy for this kind of situation (where you need to make chips fast) was to just call or raise small (especially with the higher pairs), and then see what comes down on the flop.. If the flop doesn't look too threatening for my pair, that's where I raise, usually only to take down the pot..
So how do you approach this kind of situations with medium pocket pairs? I personally find them quite tricky to play and would appreciate your feedback on that.
Thanks
Comments
Typically behind a PF raise from EP I'll flat a hand like 99-1010 and work from there. Position has a great advantage and Cbet sizing tells you tons. Anything below 20-22 blinds and I get it in.
Normally flat a cbet regardless of the flop and villain will slow down. If they fire the turn move along.
I like this^^
cbet sizing tells you a lot, but what I really hate is calling with TT, having a flop of something like K45, him cbetting the same preflop raise he made (say 1/3 pot now), me shipping then having him turn over KJ, KT - that kind of thing where I know I could have pushed him off.
I'm a go for first or go broke kind of player, so I like putting in a nice size raise against a middle stack. (if he ships I'm probably going to call as long as I have around 2-1 odds) Its very hard for this type of stack to ship without a big hand, and a lot of hands like AQ, 99, will probably flat call then re-evaluate on the flop. Reraising really puts him in between a rock and a hard place, and I find I get a lot of fold equity from this spot.