Flopping A Pair

When you flop a pair, there are a variety of tactics to use depending on the strength of your hand.

If you flop top pair with a high kicker, then it is best to raise, especially if playing from late position. If you are playing from early position and are confident then you could even check-raise if you are confident that someone in later position will bet (the earlier round should give a clue).

If you flop top pair with a medium or low kicker then things are much different. Reason being that if anyone else also flopped a pair then there is a high likelihood that they have a better kicker than yours. It is worth staying in the game if you can get a free card but if there is a lot of action before you then forget it. On the other hand, if you are in late position and most people fold then it may be worth pursuing. A good aggressive raise could halt a betting rivalry between you and whoever is left in the game. At least there will be less competition that might beat your hand, remaining in the game.

If you flop low pair then it is probably best to just fold or try to get a free card, regardless of position.

If you had a pocket pair that doesn’t improve, and the other cards are all lower, then this is a strong position. Be aggressive.