Odds Of Pocket Pair In Texas Holdem

Pocket Jacks

The question is - what are the odds of flopping a set? When you hold a pocket pair, the odds of flopping a set are 7.5-1, or roughly 12%. It's important to know the odds, as many people will try to 'set mine' when playing Texas Hold'em. This means that you are calling pre-flop bets with your pocket pair, hoping to hit a. 48%: Percent to win against most pairs (referred to as a coin flip) 46%: Percent to win against pocket queens and pocket jacks; 34%: Percent chance to win against pocket kings; 12%: Percent chance to win against pocket aces; 1.2%: Chance of getting any ace-king (including suited).8%: Chance of flopping a flush with ace-king suited.

It has to be the hand players complain the most about. I’ve had many discussions with players over pocket jacks. They’ve ranged from questioning whether they should be folded to a 4 bet to should they be played for set value only. Many players seem to have a phobia about pocket jacks. I think a lot of it stems from players stubbornness, an unwillingness to fold strong hands. This causes them to lose more than they should with a strong, but very beatable hand. This article will cover everything a beginner needs to know about a pair of fish hooks in Texas Hold’em.

Pocket Jacks Odds

Beginner Texas Hold’em Question

How Often Will I be Dealt Jacks?

You can expect to be dealt pocket jacks approximately 0.45% of the time or 1 in 221 hands.

Why Do People Hate Pocket Jacks?

Players like poker to be simple, straightforward and easy. Sadly, this is rarely the case, particularly when you hold pocket jacks. People don’t like being in awkward situations and have tough decision. That’s logical isn’t it? Do you want easier decisions or tough ones? It’s a no brainer. When you’re holding a pair of jacks, a higher card will flop over ½ the time. The problem with this is that people like big cards. They are the most favourable hands to play in Texas Hold’em. Therefore, people get concerned, and rightly so to some extent, that their jacks are already beat.

Tips How to Play Pocket Jacks

Exercise caution and pot control

If you lose lots of money with jacks, try playing a bit more careful. Perhaps you’ve been overplaying them. If it’s an early position raise, perhaps just flat call and take a flop? If you’ve flopped an overpair, perhaps just flat call on the flop instead of raising? Pot control can be a fantastic thing. You can bluff catch, bet for value later and save money if you’re beat too.

Consider the information first

Calculating Odds In Texas Holdem

Context is extremely important in poker. Rather than thinking “I’ve got pocket jacks, I’m doing X”, consider who is raising, what position, how many big blinds etc. You don’t need to rush to judgement. Take your time and consider the facts before making a rash decision.

Odds Of Getting A Pocket Pair In Texas Holdem

Don’t worry about folding

If a dreaded over-card comes and you’re facing lots of aggression or been check raised, don’t be scared to fold. You are the only one that knows your cards. By the same token, if you’ve 3 bet a tight player and he’s jammed a deep stack, don’t be scared to fold just because you have a relatively big pair.

Conclusion

Pocket jacks is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em. There are only 3 higher pocket pairs so you rate to have the best hand before the flop most of the time you get them. Obviously, you need to be wary in a full ring, deep stacked game, but jacks should win you money in the long run. If you’re losing with this hand over a lot of hands, you need to reassess how you are playing them. We offer a hand history review service that can help you? You can book a session for £90. We’d be happy to look at this with you. Just email info@texasholdemquestions.com.

If you enjoyed this article, perhaps you would like to read our articles on pocket kings and big slick.

Odds Of Texas Holdem Hands

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