Playing Medium Pocket Pairs: Raising
Medium pocket pairs are notoriously difficult to play because they are neither good nor bad. More often than nor medium pocket pairs simply express the potential for a great hand rather than a great hand themselves. Given this conundrum, many players think that it is a good poker strategy to raise when they have a medium valued pocket pair. By doing this, they scare some of the other poker player out the game thus increasing their chances of winning in the end.
Another aspect of raising with medium pocket pairs is that they have the potential to win big at the end. If you raise early on you are just essentially making the pot better for you at the showdown. Of course, you will only win if you catch the lucky break that makes your medium valued pocket pair into an amazing hand. You could also face the daunting prospect of being reraised if another player at the table realizes your conundrum. Then you would have to throw good money after bad to stay in the game. If you don’t get the cards you need, you are in the same position as the players who folded at the beginning with nothing, except that you have lost money in the process. Keep this in mind if you play poker online.
