Why you Should Play Pocket Pairs and How to Win

When Playing Poker there is nothing better then flipping over your cards and seeing a high pocket pair staring back at you. A pair of AA,KK,QQ,JJ these are the strongest hands to have pre-flop. The big question is where do you go from here? Do you play them slow? or Play them Aggressively?

If you hold your cards close and play slow until you see how all other poker players are playing their hands you won't be scaring everyone out of the pot and if you win possibly you'll make a little more. This is a high risk, high reward strategy that can pay off although you will be inviting players with lesser cards to stick around and if the flop happens to go in their favour you lose out in the end. The only high pair that you can rest easy with is a pocket pair of Aces unless a suited flop is dropped 90% of the time you will come out on top, then if you chose to tread slowly you have an advantage over anyone with a lesser pocket pair. Once the Flop has been dropped re-evaluate and play your hand from there.

If you have a high pocket pair KK,QQ,JJ then it is highly recommend to play aggressively to eliminate all the players with a possible pocket Ace or low suited cards. With the high pocket pair you should be raising pre-flop to keep control of betting post flop. By evaluating how your opponents are betting you get a better idea for what they have if it's an overcard or if they are just waiting for the Turn or River card to be dropped before committing or folding.

The most important thing to remember when playing high pocket pairs is always know when to fold. Never feel too committed to fold, this is the biggest mistake any Texas Hold'Em player makes. They feel they have too much invested in the pot but something to never lose sight of is the fact that Texas Hold'Em is a 5 card game and although a high Pocket Pair is a good hand it is still the lowest hand you can have next to an overcard.