Common Preflop Mistakes With Pocket Pairs in No Limit Poker - Strategy
For more in-depth no limit poker strategy, check our No Limit Hold’em Tips Section here
One of the key differences between limit hold ‘em and no limit poker is that the intrinsic value of certain preflop hands change dramatically - especially pocket pairs. In NL, pp’s are your bread and butter, the hands you will most often break an opponent with when you make your set. But because of this increased value, players will often overplay pp’s, a costly mistake over time. here are some common errors preflop
1) Calling a preflop raise without odds from the raisers stack: when someone with $100 raises $20 preflop, there is only $100 total for you to win from that player should you hit your set. basically you’re paying 5-1 for about an 8-1 shot.
2) Calling a large preflop raise when you’re unsure if the raiser is willing to commit their stack: pp’s are hand meant to break a player when you set. If you’re calling large raises, even with odds, from a raiser who often backs off the flop if they miss, you’re not getting your odds over time. Look for the tight players who only raise the big pp’s.
3) Calling large preflop raises with small pp’s against a large field: when UTG or close raises preflop and 4 or more people call in front of you, pp’s from 6 down become a tricky hand. You face a real possibility of second best set, or even worse, the losing end of a full house. Throw these hands away and wait.
So play the pp’s, but play them smarter. Don’t let that target start shootin’ back 
