Overvaluing Big Pairs
You are playing in a sit-n-go tournament and have played a very tight aggressive game. You are relatively card dead and haven’t played very many hands as a result. You finally are dealt K-K and raise to three times the big blind. A relatively loose player calls your bet and the flop falls 4-A-7. You bet about 40% of the pot. You opponent then moves all-in and you call. He flips over A-8 and you are left with two outs. You don’t catch lucky are busted out well short of the money. You sit and bemoan you bad luck. Actually, you fell into a common trap that some inexperienced players fall into of overvaluing a big pair.
This type of trap is common used by players to counter tight players at the table. If you are a tight player that has not shown anything but top hands, your other players are going to play a little looser and hope to catch lucky. This means that you will see them make calls with hands such as suited aces, small pairs, two large cards, or even suited connectors. They are hoping to catch a big hand and outdraw you.
The main way to counter falling into potential traps is smart play after the flop. At lower stakes, you will often see a player become very aggressive once they catch their hand. If you bet, they will make a raise ranging from double your raise to sometimes moving all-in. If you hold a pair, such as queens and an over card comes on the board, you will want to slow down a bit. You could check or make a small continuation bet. Don’t get overly aggressive with a big pair when over cards hit the board. The same is true if the board falls with a potential straight or flush.
There are times where you will fall into a situation where you are uncertain whether you have a player dominated or you are drawing slim to dead. Some examples would be if the board comes with two suited cards and no over cards. If you bet and are raised here, it is hard to tell whether the player is raising on a draw or if they hit a set. Maybe they played some type of connected junk and flopped two pair. If you think they are on a draw or on a steal, you need to push the action. If you have solid reasoning to think you are beat, then get out of the hand.
Another time you may want to consider folding your big hand is pre-flop when there is significant action. For example, let’s say you were dealt pocket queens and received a call. A solid aggressive player then reraises and then a player that has played one hand all day moves over the top of that raiser. In this case, the odds of your queens being ahead are pretty slim. You are likely against both kings and aces and need to fold the hand.
Overvaluing big pair is a common way that many beginner players lose big hands or get bust out of tournaments. They don’t take the time to examine the board and evaluate where they stand. Keep the above examples in mind while playing and perhaps you will avoid falling into this trap.