Beginner How to Trick Your Opponents With Sneaky Small Pocket Pair Plays in Texas Hold’em URL has been copied successfully! With a little patience, position, and imagination, pocket pairs can be potent weapons Small pocket pairs may be tricky to play in Texas Hold’em, but used intelligently, they offer great chances to defeat your opponents. These hands, typically between twos and sixes, are not flashy but can offer good value if the right playing strategy is used. The strategy is to keep your play unpredictable and use position to create uncertainty. One of the most powerful ways to play small pocket pairs is to limp in early position or flat-call a raise in late position. This shows you how to see an inexpensive flop without revealing too much about your hand. If you hit a set on the flop, you’ll generally beat a bigger-looking hand held by an opponent, like top pair or an overpair. The trick here is not to overplay your hand pre-flop. Rather, wait for the optimal time to strike post-flop when the odds are in your favor. You can also use small pocket pairs to represent strength when your table image allows it. If you’ve been playing tight and suddenly raise from the button or cutoff, your opponents may assume you’re holding something strong. If the flop comes with high cards and they check to you, a well-timed continuation bet can push them off the hand—even if your pair didn’t improve. Bluffing occasionally with little pairs in appropriate spots keeps you unpredictable. Stepping in slowly with semi-bluffs when you have a backdoor draw or a favorable texture on the board puts pressure without being reckless. Just don’t call large bets on later streets unless you’ve picked up your set or you have a strong read.