Can you tell me your strategy for playing pocket pairs in No Limit Hold 'Em?
There are many circumstances where you will want to play pocket pairs, or any hand for that matter, much differently in No-Limit Hold 'Em as compared to Limit Hold 'Em. In fact, to be clear, we are sort of comparing apples to oranges here. This is due to the fact that, by virtue of the inherent fundamental difference in the amount one can bet on any street (a huge factor in how the hands play out), the two games have to be approached quite differently.
Having said that, it's still useful to compare the two games as you transition from Limit Hold 'Em to No-Limit Hold 'Em. Let's look at the broader concepts first, then deal with the narrower or more hand-specific ones later.
Generally speaking, Limit Hold 'Em is played much tighter than No-Limit Hold 'Em. By that I mean that your starting hand requirements in Limit Hold 'Em are far higher, and will mandate that you play far fewer hands than in No-Limit play. It is sound strategy to try to play only big cards, particularly big pairs, in most Limit Hold 'Em ring games and tournament situations. Short-handed play calls for far more aggressive play, including playing smaller cards. But the reason for being far more selective in Limit Hold 'Em is that your expected ROI (Return On Investment) is lower than when you make a big hand in No-Limit.
Let's take a 9-10 suited to illustrate. You are in a 10/20 Limit ring game (nine or 10 players) and in early position in an unopened pot. Muck. It's probably not a playable hand unless the game is awfully soft, meaning that there's very little pre-flop raising and generally not much pressure on the pots. Those games are few and far between.
In No-Limit with the same hand in the same position, a raise is probably in order! Why? Because if that hand is a winner, it will often make a really big hand, like a straight or a flush. Those types of situations in No-Limit can yield high returns if played properly, and they by far justify the initial investment. In Limit play you simply can't justify the early position raise or call, because if you do manage a big hand, your payoff is limited by definition.
Similarly, low pocket pairs (6s and lower) aren't really playable in early position in Limit Hold 'Em -- but they are raising or limp-and-trap types of hands in No-Limit. Again, the longer the shot of being a winner, the bigger the payoff must be to justify playing the hand. If this does not make sense right now, don't worry about it. Just remember the following: Mostly, you should play only big cards in Limit Hold 'Em ring games. But in No-Limit, the number of playable hands goes way up -- depending, of course, on how much it costs to proceed in the hand.
Can you tell me your strategy for playing pocket pairs in No Limit Hold 'Em?
