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What do you do with medium pockets pairs (sevens, eights, or nines) as you play Texas Holdem? The immediate gut reaction of most every Texas Hold’em Poker bettor when they’re dealt any sort of pocket pair is to hang in there and play. After all, it is a pair. The difficulty with pocket 7s, 8s and 9s is that they’re so vulnerable to overpairs.



If you make it to the flop with such a hand, any overcard on the flop becomes a risk to your hand. Caution is the operative term with medium pocket pairs. If you’re in a late position and the first one to enter the pot you may want to show some strength to the blinds with a raise, but be prepared to toss your hand in the muck if they re-raise.

Your medium pairs are to be played cautiously unless of course you flop a set, if you make it to the flop in online betting. With medium pocket pairs, that is basically the bottom line. You flop a set or you get out when facing pressure.

From an early position it is prudent to limp in and to fold if a bettor raises. You simply have to face the reality going in with medium pocket pairs that you don’t have the power to get into a raise war with other players who are in all likelihood holding greater hands.

In a No Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament situation you might have to play your medium pocket pairs differently than you would in a cash match situation. If your poker chip stack is low you might have to force the action/issue and get ambitious with your medium pocket pairs. That is really about the sole time you want to force the issue with these hands.

At times you will see players from an early position get quite ambitious and raise with medium pocket pairs intending to scare away other players, deciding that in a worst case situation, they still have a pair and can draw for a set if they’re called. Some players will even call a raise with their medium pocket pairs to see the flop, depending on who might raise (if it is a “maniac”). In the long run this is seldom rewarding since if you do not flop a set (and most times you won’t) the hand will likely be a loser.

In No Limit Texas Hold’em, medium pocket pairs are an all or nothing kind of hand. You have a shot to hit a huge hand by flopping a set if you are able to get in cheaply. Otherwise, the hand ought to definitely be folded.


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