{"id":19990,"date":"2019-11-18T11:15:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T17:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=19990"},"modified":"2024-05-23T08:29:07","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T13:29:07","slug":"pocket-pairs-poker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/","title":{"rendered":"Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are &#038; How to Play Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the range of all starting hands in Hold\u2019em, pocket pairs are probably the most exciting group to look at. It is because this particular category can be very powerful when played correctly, but also can put a serious dent in your profits if you approach it wrong.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19991\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19991\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19991 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs-148x111.jpg 148w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs-480x360.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs-73x55.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-19991\"class=\"text-transparent\">How well do you know your pocket pairs in poker? Learn how to use them to your advantage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll try to dissect the strategy behind playing pocket pairs in poker. We\u2019ll look into some of the most profitable lines with these hands as well as some of the biggest errors you should try to avoid at all costs.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re entirely new to poker, let\u2019s briefly define what the term \u201cpocket pair\u201d actually means.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In poker, when you get two cards of the same ranking, such as 2-2 or A-A, you are dealt a pocket pair. <\/strong>Of course, the value of these hands is vastly different, but they belong to the same broad category that I will cover today.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Types of Pocket Pairs &amp; Their Values<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A majority of poker books and other training materials recognize three major subgroups of pocket pairs, namely:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Premium pocket pairs (usually JJ \u2013 AA)<\/li>\n<li>Medium pockets (77 \u2013 TT)<\/li>\n<li>Small pocket pairs (66 and below)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While there may be some smaller differences in approaches, where someone will categorize TT as a premium pair or 77 as a small one, but this general categorization is fairly accurate.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Odds of Being Dealt a Pocket Pair in Poker<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Before we move on to strategy, let\u2019s break down some simple math. Odds of being dealt any pocket pair are about 5,9%. So, on average, you\u2019ll get a pocket pair once every 17 hands or so. In terms of more specific stats, numbers break down as follows:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19999\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19999\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19999 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/poket-pair-odds-poker-1.jpg\" alt=\"Odds of being dealt a pocket pair in poker\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/poket-pair-odds-poker-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/poket-pair-odds-poker-1-148x111.jpg 148w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/poket-pair-odds-poker-1-73x55.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-19999\"class=\"text-transparent\">Odds of being dealt a pocket pair in poker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Breakdown of Pocket Pairs by Categories:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>We already mentioned that are three major subcategories for all pocket pairs in poker. Now, we\u2019ll look into each of these separately to identify their overall value and the best approach to playing it.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>1. Premium Pocket Pairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19995\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19995\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19995 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/premium-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg\" alt=\"Premium Pocket Pairs in Poker\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/premium-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/premium-pocket-pairs-poker-148x111.jpg 148w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/premium-pocket-pairs-poker-73x55.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-19995\"class=\"text-transparent\">Premium Pocket Pairs in Poker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As the name suggests, these are some of the best preflop holdings you can have in Hold\u2019em. While pocket Jacks can still be considered somewhat marginal, depending on the situation, the rest of the pairs in this category are extremely strong.<\/p>\n<p>Even those completely new to poker understand that being dealt QQ or better is what you can call a good start.<\/p>\n<p>The value of premium pocket pairs increases significantly as the number of players involved in the hand decreases, as you\u2019re far less likely to get out-flopped by a single player.<\/p>\n<p>In most situations, your plan should be to get as much money as you can before the flop. It is true for most standard tournament scenarios as well as cash games where you aren\u2019t too deep (100 \u2013 150 big blinds).<\/p>\n<p>As the stacks get deeper, your strategy might change, especially with the low end of the category (JJ &amp; QQ), but that\u2019s a whole different topic.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you won\u2019t always be able to achieve your goals before the flop as it will often happen that you raise and face several callers. When this happens, there are two things you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You still have a very strong hand if there is no over-card on the board<\/li>\n<li>You shouldn\u2019t get married to your pocket pair in multi-way pots<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While these two points seem mutually exclusive, they really aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>On a board of 10 6 2, for example, you are still very likely to be ahead with pocket Kings even against multiple opponents. You shouldn\u2019t be afraid of monsters under the bed and should try to go for some value.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, you need to be able to let go of your hand if there is too much action on the flop or a turn card comes, and all of a sudden someone else is starting to push the action.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if the turn is a 9, you need to be aware that your opponents could have all sorts of sets, two pair combos and some completed straights as well.<\/p>\n<p>Since players rarely go crazy against multiple opponents with just one pair hands, you should continue cautiously against aggression even with your overpairs.<\/p>\n<p>Hold\u2019em is played on all streets and your ability to fold big hands (in absolute terms) in dicey situations will save you a lot of money in the long run.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>2. Medium Pocket Pairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19994\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19994\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19994 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/medium-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg\" alt=\"Medium Pocket Pairs in Poker\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/medium-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/medium-pocket-pairs-poker-148x111.jpg 148w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/medium-pocket-pairs-poker-73x55.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-19994\"class=\"text-transparent\">Medium Pocket Pairs in Poker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It is hard to come up with an exact strategy for medium pocket pairs because they fall into this in-between category.<\/p>\n<p>The best advice here is to try and get heads-up going to the flop. When playing against a single opponent, these hands can easily win pots even without flopping a set.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you see a flop with several players, you almost always need to hit a set to take down the pot and will be simply folding for the most part.<\/p>\n<p>Also, depending on the situation, sometimes you should play medium pocket pairs as premiums and sometimes opt for set mining. This statement may seem a bit confusing so let\u2019s look at an example.<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019re playing in a tournament and have a stack of 40 big blinds. The under the gun player, who you perceive as tight, open for 2.5x, and the dealer makes the call. You\u2019re seated in the big blind with 88. What do you do?<\/p>\n<p>There is very little merit to doing anything but calling in this spot. The original raiser is likely to have a very strong range. So by raising, you\u2019d be turning your hand into a bluff, and there is absolutely no reason to do that with a hand like 88.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, you\u2019ll play pocket eights like a small pocket (which we\u2019ll talk about in a moment), just calling and trying to flop a set or otherwise very favorable board.<\/p>\n<p>In the other scenario, you\u2019re dealt 88 in the big blind, and everything is the same, but instead of the UTG, you\u2019re faced with a raise from a very active player on the button.<\/p>\n<p>Here, you may well consider playing 88 like a strong hand because you\u2019re likely ahead of the buttons raising range. \u00a0And, since you\u2019re not too deep, you can even look to get your stack in the middle against overly aggressive opponents.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3. Small Pocket Pairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19993\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19993 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg\" alt=\"Small Pocket Pairs in Poker\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-pocket-pairs-poker.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-pocket-pairs-poker-148x111.jpg 148w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-pocket-pairs-poker-73x55.jpg 73w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-19993\"class=\"text-transparent\">Small Pocket Pairs in Poker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now we finally arrive at the category that most players actually refer to when talking about pocket pairs.<\/p>\n<p>Small pockets are probably some of the hardest hands to play because they seem to have so much potential if you hit the right flop but, at the same time, that flop doesn\u2019t come nearly as often as we would like.<\/p>\n<p>Our general plan with small pocket pairs (22 \u2013 77) is very simple. We want to see the flop as cheaply as possible, flop a set, and get our opponent\u2019s stack when they have an overpair or flop a hand like top pair \u2013 top kicker.<\/p>\n<p>In theory, this all sounds good and straightforward, but there are many traps to avoid along the way.<\/p>\n<p>Odds of flopping a set with any pair are about 1 in 7.5 (or around 12%). This may seem like a reasonable number but keep in mind that 88% of the time, you won\u2019t flop the set you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p>And, even when you do, it doesn\u2019t mean that your opponent will automatically give their stack to you or that you will even win the pot every time.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, you need to be very careful with your small pocket pairs. As a general rule, try to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get involved cheaply to see the flop<\/li>\n<li>Do not turn your hand into a bluff and restrict from 3-betting for the most part<\/li>\n<li>If you miss the flop, do not try to bluff everyone to take down the pot<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It may be tempting to see the flop with 33, but you really can\u2019t afford to do it when there is a raise and 3-bet in front of you. You do not want to be investing a decent chunk of your chips preflop with low pocket pairs.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, you\u2019re not closing the action and if the original raiser decides to 4-bet, you\u2019ll either have to fold or make what\u2019s very likely an incorrect call because it is almost impossible to have the right odds here.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, 88% of the time, you won\u2019t get that set you\u2019re so hoping for. It may entice you to try and bluff your way to the pot, which can be very dangerous because you do not have any blockers.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t to say that you should never bluff with these hands but try to only do it against a single opponent, and when you have a good reason to believe he doesn\u2019t have a strong holding himself.<\/p>\n<p>For the most part, try to play passively when you don\u2019t flop a set and don\u2019t go crazy \u2013 there are much better bluffing spots.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>General Things to Keep in Mind with Pocket Pairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Although all of these three categories of pocket pairs require different strategies, there are some common considerations.<\/p>\n<p>These pretty much apply to all hands you play but especially to pocket pairs due to the fact these hands don\u2019t offer as much flexibility across many flops, turns, and rivers as other holdings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Effective Stack Size<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The effective stack size is one of the biggest considerations when deciding on how you want to play a pocket pair (the effective stack being the smallest of the two in a heads-up pot).<\/p>\n<p>With small pockets, for example, you don\u2019t want to set mine against an opponent starting a hand with just 20 big blinds or a similar short stack \u2013 it is simply not profitable to do so. Instead, you should fold, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/all-in-poker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">re-shove all-in<\/a> if the situation is right.<\/p>\n<p>However, if an effective stack is much bigger, you can profitably set mine in most cases.<\/p>\n<p>With a medium and higher pocket pairs, you have a very easy decision against a short stack and can push all your stack in the middle right then and there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Position<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While your position at the table is not as important with premium pockets, you definitely want to do more set mining with weaker pairs when in position relative to your opponent.<\/p>\n<p>It is much easier to extract value when you get the last say in the hand as you can have a much better understanding of how strong the other player is and how likely they are to commit the rest of their chips.<\/p>\n<p>Chasing sets with small pairs out of position is not nearly as profitable. You\u2019ll often miss value by checking on the turn and allowing your opponent to check behind.<\/p>\n<p>So, the pot won\u2019t be big enough to get the stacks in the middle, most of the time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. General Players\u2019 Tendencies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every game and player pool out there have certain tendencies that you\u2019ll learn to recognize as you play more against them.<\/p>\n<p>How you play your pairs, especially the smaller ones, will depend a lot on the general tendencies of your opponents.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re involved in loose, wild games, where people tend to stack off light, mining for sets becomes highly profitable as your implied odds increase significantly.<\/p>\n<p>However, in fairly tight games, the value of sets diminishes as it won\u2019t be nearly as easy to stack your opponents even when you flop big.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion: Make The Most Out of Your Pocket Pairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully, some of the strategic considerations in this article will help you play your pocket pairs better in the future. Keep in mind that these can be a powerful tool in your arsenal, but only if you play them right.<\/p>\n<p>Always try to be realistic about your expectations. If someone doesn\u2019t have a tendency to stack off lightly and are very conservative, don\u2019t trick yourself into thinking that you\u2019ll be the one to get all their chips when you flop the set.<\/p>\n<p>Stick to the advice from this article and always try to keep your eye on the ball as the hand progresses. There will be situations where you\u2019ll need to let your opponents catch up, and there will be spots where getting all your chips in the middle is the right play.<\/p>\n<p>The beauty of poker is that it is such a multi-dimensional game that there can be different approaches to similar spots \u2013 but a sound fundamental strategy based on math is where it all starts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19518 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-142x142.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"142\" height=\"142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-142x142.jpg 142w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-45x45.jpg 45w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 142px) 100vw, 142px\" \/>About The Author:<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Tadas Peckaitis is a professional poker player, published author and poker coach. He writes for a range of online publications and helps other poker players to excel. He can be followed on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MyPokerCoaching\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mypokercoaching\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the range of all starting hands in Hold\u2019em, pocket pairs are probably the most exciting group to look at.&nbsp;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":19991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3267],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mypokercoaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tadas Peckaitis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MyPokerCoaching\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tadas Peckaitis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tadas Peckaitis\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/35dc4316929e15fb798e10f725723870\"},\"headline\":\"Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are &#038; How to Play Them\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\"},\"wordCount\":2214,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Poker\",\"Tips &amp; Tricks\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\",\"name\":\"Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are &#038; How to Play Them\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org Blog\",\"description\":\"Casino.org Online Casino Blog covers the latest news, tips, strategies and in-depth articles about the online casino industry and gambling in general.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/corg-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/corg-logo.png\",\"width\":395,\"height\":130,\"caption\":\"Casino.org\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Casino_Org\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/35dc4316929e15fb798e10f725723870\",\"name\":\"Tadas Peckaitis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Tadas Peckaitis\"},\"description\":\"Tadas is a professional poker player, published author and poker coach. He writes for a range of online publications and helps other poker players to excel. He can be followed on Twitter @MyPokerCoaching.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mypokercoaching\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/MyPokerCoaching\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/author\/tadas-peckaitis\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog","description":"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog","og_description":"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mypokercoaching","article_published_time":"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tadas Peckaitis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MyPokerCoaching","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tadas Peckaitis","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/"},"author":{"name":"Tadas Peckaitis","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/35dc4316929e15fb798e10f725723870"},"headline":"Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are &#038; How to Play Them","datePublished":"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/"},"wordCount":2214,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg","articleSection":["Poker","Tips &amp; Tricks"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/","name":"Playing Pocket Pairs in Poker - Casino.org Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-18T17:15:31+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-23T13:29:07+00:00","description":"We explain what pocket pairs are in poker, the odds of being dealt one, and how to play them to your advantage every time you play.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/pocket-pairs.jpg","width":600,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/pocket-pairs-poker\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pocket Pairs in Poker: What They Are &#038; How to Play Them"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/","name":"Casino.org Blog","description":"Casino.org Online Casino Blog covers the latest news, tips, strategies and in-depth articles about the online casino industry and gambling in general.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#organization","name":"Casino.org","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/corg-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/corg-logo.png","width":395,"height":130,"caption":"Casino.org"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","https:\/\/x.com\/Casino_Org"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/35dc4316929e15fb798e10f725723870","name":"Tadas Peckaitis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tadas-Peckaitis-96x96.jpg","caption":"Tadas Peckaitis"},"description":"Tadas is a professional poker player, published author and poker coach. He writes for a range of online publications and helps other poker players to excel. He can be followed on Twitter @MyPokerCoaching.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mypokercoaching","https:\/\/x.com\/MyPokerCoaching"],"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/author\/tadas-peckaitis\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40580,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19990\/revisions\/40580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}