Playing middle pairs in Hold 'Em

Poker Strategy / Marcus Bateman / 10 December 2009 / Leave a Comment

Middle pairs are usually defined as the pairs between sevens and jacks. With pairs below sevens, you typically have to hit a set to be able to play a big pot; which stands in stark contrast to the pairs above jacks, where you usually just need to have an over pair to the board to start playing for stacks; but with these middle pairs, you have a much trickier time establishing exactly when you should be trying to build a big pot or back down.

The problem you usually face with middle pairs is that it is very hard to establish quite how strong your hand is. Imagine raising pre flop, getting one caller, and seeing a flop of 3c7hKd. If you have a hand like pocket twos, you are pretty confident that if you get any resistance that your hand is no good. Conversely, if you have aces here you are looking to build a pot and get some action - no problem here either.

Imagine you have pocket eights here though - and your opponent does something tricky like check raising the flop. How do you proceed now? Are they bluffing? Do they have a king? Your hand is strong, but it is vulnerable from a lot of angles in this situation, and it is hard to tell exactly what the right course of action is in this spot.

It is in playing these very complex problems in poker where good players truly separate themselves from the weak, as the simpler answer to these sort of questions is there is no simple answer. In deciding how to proceed in these spots you need to pull together as much knowledge as possible and think through the possibilities carefully Is this player capable of bluffing here? Do they regularly make moves like this with worse hands than mine? Are they tilting or playing extra tight and trying to protect their wins?

Middle pairs can be very tricky to play, but they can also be some of the most satisfying hands in hold'em. Nothing feels better than making a big call with these sort of hands in marginal spots and being proved right. They have a solid value in hold'em, but they are certainly hands that can get you in a lot of trouble if played too strong, as well as let you miss out on a lot of value if you constantly play them too weakly. Look to pull all of your poker skills together when playing them, and really try and maximise their value.

More Marcus Bateman

Jack Ten - The fun hand of Texas Hold 'Em
Ace King early in tournaments
Small pairs in pot limit Omaha
Limping big pairs
Playing suited connectors