Monthly Archives: February 2023

I have made money playing over pants in Hold’em. You can too. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

Overpairs are the hands that are most profitable for a tight player. They allow you to limp in cheaply, chase some cards, or make a hand that will pay off long-term. They can also be killer cards to your opponents.

Overpairs are great in hold’em since the pot is almost always split. The greatest danger in overpairs is that you may be drawing into a miracle, two-card type hand. You should almost never be playing overpairs when in early position.

In middle or late position, you can exploit your opponents, and make a few more profitable decisions. However, overpairs are much less powerful when you are in late position. (7-8 players are suggested) The reasons are plentiful, but mainly because they are more likely to be two-cards, rather than a set. You want to be involved when you have the best hand, rather than waiting for one to come, or being drawn into a dominated situation.

Overpairs are most powerful in multi-way pots. Simply because if you fold the overpair after the flop, you can’t turn around and start calling another bet. When you call, the subsequent betting action is likely to produce a very expensive pot. In these pots, two high cards may well be beat by a better hand.

As an example: you have J9o on the button, a middle position opponent raises from the cutoff 30%, and your read is that he is weak. You call on the button for principle, but make the fold when he pushes all-in on the flop. The turn is a 2 and the river is a Q. By this point you have nothing but air.

Why?

A. You are out of position (being first up) and didn’t really have a chance to win the hand pre-flop.

B. You didn’t really have a chance to win the hand post-flop since your hand was so folded.

C. You have maybe a middle to weak hand that will make a better hand for your opponent on the flop.

D. You are always one calling away from making a big mistake.

Ok, so four reasons not to play overpairs. Can you see how they are dangerous to your chip stack?

When you are first up in position, you are at a massive disadvantage. You are so far behind and so out of position that you are at a huge disadvantage to whatever hand your opponent holds. Even if you do connect on the flop, there is a possibility that you are dominated by an overpair.

In middle to late position, you are in better position and can sort of control the Panen138. You have more information and can make better decisions post-flop.

When you call a raise with an overpair, especially in early position, you are asking for trouble. The pot odds are not in your favor. In early position, you want to limit the size of the pot and the number of players in the hand.