Who doesn’t love pocket pairs in poker! Seeing two cards of the same value brings a big smile to your face. But are you playing the pocket pairs in the right way? Do you know which pockets pair to call or raise? And, do know which ones to fold?
All of your questions will be answered here! We will show the time-tested strategies on how to play pocket pairs in poker. So, let’s get started!
What is a Pocket Pair in Poker?
When you are dealt two cards of the same rank, you are dealt a pocket pair, for example – A♥A♦ and K♦K♣. There are 13 pocket pairs in Texas Holdem poker. Each pair has a total of six combinations.
| Pocket Pairs | Combinations | Popular Nicknames |
| A Pair of Aces | A♥A♦, A♠A♣ A♥A♠, A♥A♣ A♦A♠, A♦A♣ | Bullets, Pocket Rockets, American Airlines |
| A Pair of Kings | K♥K♦, K♠K♣ K♥K♠, K♥K♣ K♦K♠, K♦K♣ | Cowboys, King Kong, Elvis Presley, Ace Magnets |
| A Pair of Queens | Q♥Q♦, Q♠Q♣ Q♥Q♠, Q♥Q♣ Q♦Q♠, Q♦Q♣ | Ladies |
| A Pair of Jacks | J♥J♦, J♠J♣ J♥J♠, J♥J♣ J♦J♠, J♦J♣ | Fishhooks, Brothers |
| A Pair of Tens | 10♥10♦, 10♠10♣ 10♥10♠, 10♥10♣ 10♦10♠, 10♦10♣ | Dimes, Dynamite, TNT |
| A Pair of Nines | 9♥9♦, 9♠9♣ 9♥9♠, 9♥9♣ 9♦9♠, 9♦9♣ | Popeyes, Phill Hellmuth |
| A Pair of Eights | 8♥8♦, 8♠8♣ 8♥8♠, 8♥8♣ 8♦8♠, 8♦8♣ | Snowmen, Piano Keyes, Pretzels |
| A Pair of Sevens | 7♥7♦, 7♠7♣ 7♥7♠, 7♥7♣ 7♦7♠, 7♦7♣ | Hockey Sticks, Candy Canes, Walking Sticks, Axes |
| A Pair of Sixes | 6♥6♦, 6♠6♣ 6♥6♠, 6♥6♣ 6♦6♠, 6♦6♣ | Boots, Kicks, Cherries, Route 66 |
| A Pair of Fives | 5♥5♦, 5♠5♣ 5♥5♠, 5♥5♣ 5♦5♠, 5♦5♣ | Snakes, Nickels, Speed Limit |
| A Pair of Fours | 4♥4♦, 4♠4♣ 4♥4♠, 4♥4♣ 4♦4♠, 4♦4♣ | Sailboats, Magnum |
| A Pair of Threes | 3♥3♦, 3♠3♣ 3♥3♠, 3♥3♣ 3♦3♠, 3♦3♣ | Crabs, Treys |
| A Pair of Deuces | 2♥2♦, 2♠2♣ 2♥2♠, 2♥2♣ 2♦2♠, 2♦2♣ | Deuces, Ducks |
Odds of Getting a Pocket Pair
There are 169 variations of starting hands in poker. But the odds of getting a pocket pair is just 5.9%. So, you could get a pocket pair once every 16 hands. And the odds of getting a specific pocket pair like AA or KK is only 0.45%. This means that if you are looking to get AA in particular, you could get it once every 220 hands.
Odds of getting any pocket pair – 5.9% or once every 16 hands
Odds of getting a specific pocket pair – 0.45% or once every 220 hands
Let’s look at the pocket pair chart below to understand the odds:
| Pair | Percentage Odds | Ratio Odds |
| AA | 0.5% | 220 to 1 |
| KK and above | 0.9% | 110 to 1 |
| QQ and above | 1.4% | 73 to 1 |
| JJ and above | 1.8% | 54 to 1 |
| TT and above | 2.3% | 43 to 1 |
| 99 and above | 2.7% | 36 to 1 |
| 88 and above | 3.2% | 31 to 1 |
| 77 and above | 3.6% | 27 to 1 |
| 66 and above | 4.1% | 24 to 1 |
| 55 and above | 4.5% | 21 to 1 |
| 44 and above | 5.0% | 19 to 1 |
| 33 and above | 5.4% | 17 to 1 |
| 33 and above | 5.9% | 16 to 1 |
Categories of Pocket Pairs
All the 13 pocket pairs can be divided into three categories – Premium, Medium and Small Pocket Pairs. Let’s look at which pairs fall into which category:
| Category | Pocket Pairs |
| Premium | Aces to Jacks (AA, KK, QQ, JJ) |
| Medium | Tens to Sevens (TT, 99, 88, 77) |
| Small | Sixes to Twos (66, 55, 44, 33, 22) |
How to Play Premium Pairs (AA, KK, QQ, JJ)
These hands have over 80% equity (winning chance) over the other hands preflop. So, always make a raise preflop to go heads up against a single opponent. If more players enter the pot, the equity is affected.
Position: You can play these hands from any poker position.
Call, Raise or Fold? Always raise and if someone raised before you, re-raise. Never fold with these strong hands and opt for raising or re-raising. You can also go all-in as you have the best equity on the preflop.
How to Play Medium Pairs (TT, 99, 88, 77)
Medium pairs are also strong hands that have the potential to win pots at showdowns. However, you need to play carefully. Don’t go all-in preflop. If any of your opponents have a premium hand, he will have more equity than your medium pair.
Position: You can play medium hands from any position.
Call, Raise or Fold? Always raise if no one raises before you. It is better to call a raise and fold to a re-raise.
How to Play Small Pairs (66, 55, 44, 33, 22)
You need to be more cautious with small pairs. These pairs have lesser equity than other pocket pairs. Go for a passive play and call to see a cheap flop. The chances of hitting a Three of a Kind on the flop is 10.78%.
Position: It is better to play small pairs from middle or late positions. As they are not the best pairs, you will be able to make better decisions from these positions.
Call, Raise or Fold? It is better to just call from all positions but fold to a huge raise. You can raise from late positions to steal the blinds. If you face a re-raise, just fold.
Conclusion
Any pair, premium or small, does not guarantee any victory. However, you have better chances of winning with pocket pairs. It is important to calculate your pot odds before relying completely on a pair. Always assess your pair according to your position and consider the playing styles of your opponents before making any decision.
Also Read: Why you should 3bet with Pocket Pair?
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. We will be happy to answer!
