How to play a high pair pre-flop

You wait around forever and ever then finally you are dealt Aces, Kings or Queens… but then how do you play?

Raise

If you have a high pocket pair, this is a good situation to show aggression. If you are going to raise keep it the same raise as you would in any other situation (about 3 times the big blind is the norm). You don't want to put in any more than that as you will out price your opponents and just scare them off.

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Cons – A raise can sometimes lead to everyone folding and you are left with just the blinds, which depending on the stage of the tournament could be pretty small.

Slow play

This is a totally different way of playing the hand and can usually be done in early position, although the risks are much greater. The basics of this dynamic are that those in the early position play more conservatively. People in the later positions can be more aggressive. So you will be playing a hand as if it is medium strength and disguising the fact that you have a very strong hand.

Pros – By slow playing a big pair and just calling the big blind there is a chance of more chips going into the pot for you to win. It also (to the untrained eye) makes your hand look weaker than it is. Also by just calling in early position it also could lead to a raise that you could then look to re-raise pre flop.

Cons – You are allowing players with weaker hands to get involved in the hand, there is always the chance that they may hit the flop big time and you are left cursing your luck.

Different players play big pairs differently in all kinds of circumstances, but when it comes down to it all this pre-flop play doesn't change the fact that whatever hand you have, if you feel that you are losing then fold. You can't win money from the rail!

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