Small pocket pairs facing 3bet

[majorchom]

I've been having some problems with my small pocket pairs when facing 3 bets pre flop. Particularly 22-66 seem to be losing me a lot of money. Does anyone have any guidelines for this or a good video that covers it?

[Daboss]

What are you doing with them? Are you calling the 3bets? IP or OOP 22-66 do not do well unless stacks are 150bb deep.

[majorchom]

I generally find myself calling and trying to set mine whether IP or OOP if they are 100bb+ I hadn't realised how much of a leak this was until I did some digging around on Holdem manager and saw the damage it was doing. So any guidelines/advice would be great

[Daboss]

It's pretty much accepted that you should just go ahead and fold them to be honest in position and out of position. It's not a leak and although it doesn't feel great it's the best thing to do.

[klamsauce]

I'm starting to think opening 22-66 in EP just sucks in general. I know it's standard to open all pairs from every position but seriously, when you get 3b you have to fold 100% of the time. Every cbet you make if you don't spike a set is basically a bluff where you have absolutely no equity to barrel turns.

[majorchom]

That's true, every hand chart/discussion you see makes it standard to raise up all PP's from any position but I never really feel too comfortable about it unless obviously you flop big. But if you were to cut them out all together would it make your opening range a little too tight from EP?

[DRUK88]

I basically raise/fold OOP. When IP it kind of depends on my position. To be IP facing a 3bet generally means the blinds are 3betting, so it will depend on the position in which I raised from, and their 3betting %age.

If in EP, and 1 of the blinds 3bets I fold very quickly. If on the button and the BB 3bets (and is not like a nit reg or some1 with a low 3bet %age over a large sample) I probs call because I believe I play better than them postflop and their range is wider based on our range being wider.

However, I feel as I move through stakes and my opponents become tougher, this will likely need tweaking.

[klamsauce]

Originally Posted by majorchom

That's true, every hand chart/discussion you see makes it standard to raise up all PP's from any position but I never really feel too comfortable about it unless obviously you flop big. But if you were to cut them out all together would it make your opening range a little too tight from EP?

I'd rather throw in the suited connectors and gappers tbh. At least we can flop equity and apply pressure on later streets. A lot of people will obviously disagree. I still raise the pairs but in tough games where I'm getting floated and called a lot in position, 33 is just shit to open UTG imo.


I mean, I guess it's possible you can eek out a small profit opening these hands in EP where you basically weigh: the times you take down the blinds/your cbets are effective/ you flop sets and win big pots vs. you get 3b and have to fold/ your cbets fail and you c/f turn.

[lancelott_]

if you are in a really tough 6max game, where players will be 3B`ing you a bunch at decent balanced freqnecy, dumping 22-55 from UTG is fine