Before reading this lesson if you haven't had a chance yet to pick up my book for the limited time price of $19.97 (33% off the normal price of $29.97 when you use IPC-EBOOK10 in our shopping cart), please go to www.internetpokercoach.com and purchase it now.  You will not be disappointed and I give you my 100% guarantee.

Now... on with Lesson #5

One mistake that I see over and over frominternet Texas Hold'em players is how they choose to play pocket pairs, especially low to mid pocket pairs. While it is nice to look down and see two matching cards in your hand, you have to temper your enthusiasm a bit to avoid making big mistakes with these types of hands.
 
The basic problem with pocket pairs like 4's or 8's is that they look nice pre-flop but are only a pair of 8's after the flop. If you had A-6 and the Flop came up K-J-6, how thrilled would you be to risk a big portion of your chips on the outcome of this hand? The answer had better be "not very thrilled at all" but this is what many players do in online games.

Conventional wisdom says "raise big pre-flop with pocket pairs." This will help drive out all the less than premium hands. If you can do this, great, but do not count on it in online games. Pocket 7's are not a bad hand to have against one opponent. However, they don't fair nearly as well against 3 or 4. There are just too many ways you can be beaten if your pair does not make a set. (On average, you will only hit a set 1 out of 8 times and more on these easy stats in my book) So, if you do not make your set, your options become very limited and you will likely have to give up the hand post flop. With a flop like K-J-9 you can be sure someone has a K or J if you are up against several opponents.

This is compounded by the fact that internet players will many times play ANY Ace. This is in stark contrast to live games, where most players will not play A-5 off suit unless there is a compelling reason to do so (position, big chip stack, etc) Online, you will see players happily call 2x-5x Big Blind raises with hands like A-4 suited, A-6 off suit, etc. This makes it that much more difficult to play your pocket 8's.

Worse, internet players also tend to play just about any face card. You can see why it becomes so hard to get your middle pocket pair to stand up post-flop if you didn't hit your set. There will be just too many players playing hands that they should have folded against you.

Here is a rule of thumb I like to use for playing pocket pairs that are not premium ones. See the Flop. That's it. If the Flop hits your set or the texture is good, (all cards lower than your pocket pair) then go ahead and take a shot at it. Otherwise, be prepared to shut the hand down, or at least try to see a free card or two. Sometimes, you will get someone slow playing an Ace and you may make your set on the Turn of River, but it is not worth a high price to hang in there and find out. Leading out with a bet in these instances may get you re-raised and you will have to fold. If you are willing to check down, you may be able to see that Turn or River card for free, giving you more chances to make your set.

I am not saying limp in with medium pocket pairs, but beware about investing your whole tournament or big raises in these types of hands. By all means, you should raise 2x-5x the Big Blind with your middle pocket pairs. But don't be afraid to fold or check them down later. You are just too likely to be called by someone playing a hand that they shouldn't. If you are up against a legit hand like A-K, they are not going to fold anyway and then you will have a tricky time navigating post flop if over cards are on the board and you didn't make your set. If you are up against some knucklehead playing A-4 and an Ace comes on the Flop, it doesn't make any difference that he shouldn't have been playing his hand. You are still beaten. Just shrug your shoulders and walk away from the hand. Do not attempt to make big bets or go all-in on the hopes that he doesn't have an Ace. 9 times out of 10 he does.  Believe me.  Again, to purchase my book please click here.

Sincerely,

Chris Wilcox
InternetPokerCoach.com

P.S. Keep up to date with my blog at www.internetpokercoach.com/blog

P.P.S. Now that you are playing for money, you can get a leg up on the rest of your table by going to www.internetpokercoach.com to purchase my complete guide to winning online poker.

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