In Texas Hold’em, flopping top pair is a great position to be in. You have matched the top card that was on the board and have a very good chance to win the pot. However, if you flop middle pair, it is advised that you make your decisions carefully.
You still have a solid chance at winning the round, but there are many combinations, which can beat you easily. If you have flopped middle-pair, the best thing you can do is to play with your head, not your heart, and make the smartest poker decisions.
When you have flopped middle pair, the best thing to do is to analyze what cards are on the table and if your pair is relatively low, pair of 3’s-7’s, you may want to fold as there is a great chance you will lose the hand. Also, if there are many people playing in the round or there are multiple “high cards”, such as kings, queens, aces, and jacks, it is often advised not to beat heavily on a middle pair.
Further, the more people playing in the round, the better the chances are that you will be defeated in the round.
We advise that you only bet heavily on a middle-pair when your pair is high relative to the other cards on the board.
Secondly, make sure that you do not loose too much money when playing the middle-pair. Sure you may win some money, especially if the other player is bluffing, but regardless you want to save the vast majority of your chips for the rounds where you have a great hand and a very high chance of winning the hand.
Going “All-In” on a Middle-Pair hand is not the smartest idea and we strongly recommend you do not travel this route. If you are not sure on whether to continue playing the round and bet more chips, we advise that you fold.
If you have not put a lot of chips into the round, you are not loosing that much by folding and if you have invested heavily in the round, you probably should not have in the first place and folding now will at least you keep your remaining chips for a round where you have a better chance at winning and could possibly win your chips back.
If you have not put a lot of chips into the round, you are not loosing that much by folding and if you have invested heavily in the round, you probably should not have in the first place and folding now will at least you keep your remaining chips for a round where you have a better chance at winning and could possibly win your chips back.
This strategy is of course only a guide. The true play must reflect how the other players are playing on the table. If the table is extremely tight, like many games are at Full Tilt Poker, you could bet more after the flop in order to steal cheap pots. If you are sitting at a wild table at Pacific Poker or Poker.com you should bet smaller in hope to catch a better hand. Do not get greedy and follow to the river when you are facing an aggressive wild player in order to catch that hand that will take him/her down, they will eventually come.
Bottom Line: If you are playing Middle Pair, play out the round but do not place too many chips on the hand.