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Pocket rockets, cowboys, ladies, hooks, and dimes.
Pocket pairs in poker have many names and they can take you a long way to winning a hand.
But are you heading to hole card heaven with that pair of aces? What do you do when you’re holding two dimes (pocket 10s), there’s a jack on the flop, and someone is raising the pot?
Will the hooks hold out? Have you played your pair like a pro?
Most professional poker players will tell you: the most important pair at the poker table has nothing to do with a deck of cards.
It’s not what you’re holding in your hand, it’s how you play it. Here’s how to play pocket pairs in a game of Texas Hold’em.
How to Play Pocket Pairs in Poker
When it comes to the best way to play pocket pairs in poker, there are rules.
It’s the only time in a game of Texas Hold’em when there is an objectively correct way to play your cards. A rare thing in poker strategy.
Of course, the beauty of poker is bluff and deception. However: if you just soft call those pocket aces, and kings crash the party when the flop hits, you’ll be sorry you didn’t do a chunky pre-flop raise and thin the herd.
You don’t have to play by the rules, but math does.
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What Are Pocket Pairs?
In poker hand rankings, a pair is the second lowest hand in poker.
A pocket pair is what you get when you’re dealt two cards of matching value before the flop. This is much more valuable than a standard pair made with community cards.
These are your hole cards; the two cards unique to you. You use these to make the best five card hand you can, usually in combination with the five community cards on the table.
They come with some colorful nicknames. Here are some of our favorites:
- Ace Ace
Bullets, Pocket Rockets, American Airlines, - King King
Cowboys, King Kong - Queen Queen
Ladies, Calamity Jane - Jack Jack
Hooks, Brothers - Ten Ten
Dimes, Train Tracks - Nine Nine
Wayne Gretzky - Eight Eight
Snowmen - Seven Seven
Hockey Sticks - Six Six
Route 66 - Five Five
Nickels - Four Four
Sailboats - Three Three
Treys, Crabs - Two Two
Ducks, Deuces
If you’re holding pocket pairs, you have a winning poker hand, but its strength depends on the cards’ ranking and your ability to eliminate the competition.
Strategies for Pocket Pairs in Poker
The strategy for pocket pairs depends on the strength of your hole cards.
It also depends at what stage the hand is. If you are pre-flop, there are some fairly hard and fast rules; all backed by the statistical odds of you holding a winning hand.
Everything changes post flop.
For example: if you were holding the top hand, with a pair of aces, and the flop shows two kings, your hand is now in serious danger of being beaten by a player holding a single king.
The only thing that is definite is the statistical chance of your pocket pairs winning pre-flop.
If you are serious about poker and play at online poker sites often, you need to bank the following information.
| Pocket Pair | Chance of Winning % |
| A-A | 85% |
| K-K | 83% |
| Q-Q | 80% |
| J-J | 78% |
| 10-10 | 75% |
| 9-9 | 72% |
| 8-8 | 69% |
| 7-7 | 67% |
| 6-6 | 64% |
| 5-5 | 61% |
| 4-4 | 58% |
| 3-3 | 55% |
| 2-2 | 51% |
Evaluating Your Pocket Pair Strength
The odds of getting dealt any pocket pair in a game of Texas Hold’em are remote at just 5.9%.
But, even the weakest pair has a better than 50% chance of winning the hand.
Though, even this can change easily when you consider the basics of how to play poker.
The number of players in the game affects the potential strength of your pocket pair. Every additional player increases the possibility of another player holding a pocket pair.
The idea of strong pre-flop play is to scare other players off the hand. As soon as the community cards are in play, everything changes.
A pocket pair is always a good hand. How you play it is key to its success. You can always practice online, if you can’t get to a game.
One way of calculating how strong your pocket pair is to calculate the probability that you are facing a higher pair.
| % CHANCE % THAT SOMEONE ELSE IS HOLDING A HIGHER PAIR | |||||||||
| YOUR HAND | NUMBER OF PLAYERS | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| A-A | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| K-K | 0.5% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 3.0% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 4.3% |
| Q-Q | 1.0% | 1.9% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 6.8% | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| J-J | 1.5% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 5.8% | 7.1% | 8.6% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 12.9% |
| 10-10 | 1.9% | 3.9% | 5.8% | 7.7% | 9.4% | 11.1% | 13.0% | 14.7% | 16.4% |
| 9-9 | 2.4% | 4.8% | 7.2% | 9.5% | 11.7% | 14.0% | 16.2% | 18.3% | 19.8% |
| 8-8 | 2.9% | 5.8% | 8.6% | 11.2% | 13.9% | 16.3% | 18.8% | 21.4% | 23.8% |
| 7-7 | 3.4% | 6.8% | 10.0% | 13.1% | 16.1% | 19.0% | 21.8% | 24.6% | 27.2% |
| 6-6 | 3.9% | 7.7% | 11.3% | 14.8% | 18.0% | 21.1% | 24.5% | 27.4% | 30.7% |
| 5-5 | 4.4% | 8.6% | 12.7% | 16.6% | 20.0% | 23.5% | 27.1% | 30.3% | 33.5% |
| 4-4 | 4.9% | 9.6% | 14.0% | 18.1% | 22.4% | 26.1% | 29.5% | 33.1% | 36.3% |
| 3-3 | 5.4% | 10.5% | 15.3% | 20.0% | 24.1% | 28.3% | 32.1% | 35.8% | 39.3% |
| 2-2 | 5.9% | 11.5% | 16.6% | 21.4% | 26.0% | 30.4% | 34.7% | 38.3% | 41.9% |
If you are holding a pair of aces, no one else can have a better pair.
However, if you are holding deuces, in a full game, there is a more than 40% chance that someone has a better pair than you
When to Raise, Call, or Fold
The only point in a poker game where a player can be certain about the strength of a hand is pre-flop.
Of course, you still have no idea how powerful your opponent’s hand is.
However: these are the recommended plays to make, pre-flop.
| Pocket Pair | Strategy Pre-Flop |
| A-A | Raise or re-raise in any position |
| K-K | Raise or re-raise in any position |
| Q-Q | Raise or re-raise in any position |
| J-J | Raise or re-raise in any position |
| 10-10 | Call early position, raise in late position |
| 9-9 | Call early position, raise in late position |
| 8-8 | Call early position, raise in late position |
| 7-7 | Call early position, raise in late position |
| 6-6 | Call early position, raise in late position |
| 5-5 | Fold early position to a raise, call big blind and late position |
| 4-4 | Fold early position to a raise, call big blind and late position |
| 3-3 | Fold early position to a raise, call big blind and late position |
| 2-2 | Fold early position to a raise, call big blind and late position |
Strategies for Different Flop Scenarios
Post-flop everything changes. A pair – even aces – is only a pair. It’s the weakest hand in poker, excluding high card.
What you are looking for on the flop is a set (three of a kind).
The chances of hitting three of a kind or better with a pocket pair are 12.7%. Approximately seven to one.
| Pre-Flop | Improved Hand Post Flop | % | ODDS |
| Pocket pair | Three-of-a-kind or better | 12.7% | 6.9:1 |
| Pocket pair | Three-of-a-kind | 11.8% | 7.5:1 |
| Pocket pair | Full house | 0.73% | 136:1 |
| Pocket pair | Four-of-a-kind | 0.24% | 415.67:1 |
The Role of Opponent Types in Your Strategy
No matter if you’re playing a home game, or on an offshore poker site.
If we break poker players down into separate categories, we can then evaluate how best to play against them with pocket pairs.
Fundamentally, there are four different types of poker player:
- Tight Aggressive
A tight aggressive player won’t play many pots.
When they do, they will represent with strength. These are generally competent players. Don’t bother trying to bluff with low pocket pairs against these players. They are happy to raise pre-flop. If you have a high pocket pair, play it as advised above.
- Loose Aggressive
These players play more hands than their tight counterparts. This makes them exceptionally dangerous. They are more likely to bluff and will fight for the pot. Be careful.
- Tight Passive
Passive players tend to avoid confrontation. Tight passive players will only play hands they like and are prone to just call pre-flop. These are the players to bluff with your pocket pair. If you make a solid raise pre-flop, it’s likely they will fold. They play only a few hands.
- Loose Passive
The loose passive player loves to get involved and will do a lot of calling. Keen to stay in the hand, they are less likely to be bluffed off a pot. Be careful: this player could have a weak hand but it will trump your bluff.
Bluffing with Pocket Pairs: When and How
There isn’t really a when or how.
Every game is different, but bluffing is an essential part of poker. If you’re holding a low value pocket pair, you need to consider the following options:
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Pocket Pairs
- Slow Playing
The best way to play low and middle value pocket pairs is pre-flop. Simply calling and hoping your tens will hold out is a recipe for higher card disaster. Act quickly.
- Adding Value
Post flop, a pair of nines might struggle.
It’s easy to get hooked up with a reasonable pair and forget that a pair is not a strong hand. Don’t add value to a weak hand.
- Chasing a Set
The statistical odds of hitting a set are low.
Staying in a hand all the way to the river can be costly if you’re still holding out for trips after several rounds of betting.
- Getting Trapped
If you have overcommitted to a pot, hoping to improve a hand, it can be hard to let it go
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Conclusion
There’s always a flutter of excitement when you hit a pair pre-flop.
The top pairs put you in a position of power but it is vital to play them well. Mid to low pair strength is all about the flop; after that, it’s anybody’s game.
The problem with pocket pairs is exactly that ‘flutter of excitement’. Remember, it’s only a pair at the end of the day.
Knowing these types of rules is essential to improving and an absolute must if you’re trying to become a professional poker player.
Those pocket rockets will be beaten by a set of twos, if the flop fails to upgrade your hand. Don’t get attached to a weak hand.
FAQs
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