Dear Mark: For years I have always played a low pair before the flop, but on one of the television poker shows they said that wasn’t always smart, yet they didn’t give a detailed reason why. What are your thoughts of playing a low pair, such as 2’s or 3’s? Perry H.

 Probably one of the most important aspects of Texas Hold 'em is the value of your starting two-card hand before the flop. How you play those first two cards, Perry, is parallel to and predictive of your probability of winning.

When you get a pair of deuces as a starting hand, position (playing order) becomes extremely important. The later you act, the more information you will then have about your opponent’s cards, from seeing how they were played. The earlier you are to play, the more selective you should be, even if they are a pair. The announcer was correct in that a pair of 2’s or 3’s is usually worth playing before the flop in late position only, never in the early position.

Although far too many players play a twosome in any position, here’s how I would normally play a starting hand match. Seven’s and higher in any position; 5’s and 6’s in mid or late position, and 2’s through 4’s in late position only.

by Mark Pilarski