HOW TO PLAY SMALL PAIRS CORRECTLY

Small pocket pairs gain most of their value from flopping a set. In many situations, the correct mindset with these hands is “no set, no bet.” While there are occasional flops where an overpair may still be good, the biggest value comes from disguising a set against opponents holding premium hands.

For example, flopping a set on an A-T-6 board when your opponent holds A-K can lead to a huge payday. Those are the situations you are targeting. Since a small pair only flops a set around 11.8% of the time, proper implied odds are extremely important before calling raises.

Tournament stack sizes also matter heavily when deciding whether to continue with small pairs. If stacks become shallow, calling strictly to set mine may no longer be mathematically profitable. In those situations, a reshove or 3-bet shove can sometimes become the better option, especially against aggressive players opening wide ranges where fold equity still exists.