11.18.09
Overplaying Top Pair
There is an old saying in poker, “Never go broke with just one pair.” Though, sure, when you flop the top pair and have a strong kicker, you are likely ahead, in the face of heavy action, there are a very wide range of hands that have you crushed. Two pair, a set, a straight or flush (if the board allows it)all of these hands are hands you could get raised with, and will have you drawing slim to win the pot (not to mention overpairs and top pairs with better kickers).
And yet so often you’ll see players willing to put their whole stack at risk just, say, with top pair top kicker. It can be hard for some people to see the possibilities the board allows and to give their poker opponent credit for those hands.
One of the great differentiations from a moderately successful player to a long term winner is that the long term winner will be able to lay down those big but not big enough hands in the right spots, slipping their way out of the noose.
More often, then, in spots where you might raise with top pair, sometimes it is more profitable just to call and take a card off, see if your opponent’s actions continue to represent that you’ll need more than one pair to take the money. Keep this in mind if you play poker online.
