One of the most difficult decisions many poker players face is what to do against a raise when holding a small pocket pair or suited connectors in a No-Limit game.  Many pros will preach about getting in cheap, hitting a set, flush or straight and then felt someone with a monster hand.  This is certainly good advice but there is usually so many variables to consider that this advice does not address the concept of how much to risk.  This advice also does not really help when you are up against a raise.

The first variable to address is the opponent who has put in the raise.  If you are going to play a small pair or a suited connector against them, you are hoping for a super aggressive opponent.  These types of players over-value their hands and risk too much with continuation bets and bluffs.  Your goal is to trap an opponent so look for a player who can be trapped.  Tight rocks usually will not risk enough to make it worth your while so focus on looser, more aggressive opponents.

The next step is to decide what a “small pair” is.  Suited connectors speak for themselves so this section will just focus on small pairs.  Is this a tournament or a cash game?  How are your opponents playing?  Is there a lot of re-raising pre-flop.  There are plenty of factors to consider but your decision on what hands you will play as small pairs.  Some players consider 2-7’s as small pairs.  A more conservative approach, and one that should be considered more often in a deep stack situation means limiting your “small pairs” range to Dueces to Jacks.

The final concept is risk versus reward.  This is actually the simplest concept to consider.  If you are up against a raise and do not think you will be re-raised just consider your stack and the raisers.  With a small pair, if you can win ten times the amount it costs to call the raise feel free to make the call.  With a suited connector, the number is twenty times the amount it costs to call the raise.  If you hit your set chances are your stack will be rewarded.  One nice side effect of playing these types of hands is that they are very easy to fold when you do not hit the flop.   In addition, when you get to show other players that you are calling raises with 6♦7♦ you are sure to have that affect the way they perceive you.