How to Play Pocket Queens

Being dealt a pair of queens to start off in Texas Holdem is a powerful hand. While pocket queens are among the top starting hands in poker you must play them properly in order to win the hand. Playing pocket queens in a tight aggressive manner will help you maximize profits while playing online poker.

Deciding How Much to Raise Pre-flop with Pocket Queens

When you have pocket queens you should raise preflop more often than not. There are several factors up for consideration when deciding how much to raise with pocket queens. You want to consider your position and your stack sizes for both you and your likely opposition. Venture an educated guess as to how many players you expect to get a call from, as it is imperative to plan your hand prior to acting.

Before we decide how much to raise, we must consider the following:

• What is the average preflop raise at this table?
• What has my average raise looked like during the course of this session?
• Is there a "live player" at the table and if so, how do I best get his attention in this hand?
• What kind of players are at my table (tight, loose, passive, aggressive)?

If your average raise is higher than that of the table’s average raise and you have had little problems getting action when you raise, then generally target the higher end of your raise. In addition, if there is a player present who is reckless or seemingly tilting; target this player when making your preflop move.

The goal with big hands is to raise as much as possible preflop with pocket queens while still getting action. When playing this hand out, let us assume we are playing 1-2 no limit Texas Holdem, and we have the maximum buy-in of $200 in front of us.

Consider the Possible Flops and Post-flop Actions with Pocket Queens

Statistically, the most likely situation after the flop is that we flop an over pair. The odds of an over card (ace or king) occurring on the flop is 1 in six. Because the most likely scenario is an over pair, our intentions are to make a continuation bet on the flop. Of course, considering we are tight aggressive poker players, we will be expected to make a continuation bet. More often than not, a check on a flop we have raised suggests we might be trapping after flopping a monster. We do not wish to raise such a flag. The flop can dictate how much we bet on the flop, but will not change the fact that the most correct action is to put in a continuation bet.

That being said, we will take the following actions based on the following scenarios:

Pocket Queens Scenario 1: Early Position

We are first to open the pot with our pocket queens. We want to play this hand and wish to raise. The average table raise has been anywhere from $6 to $10, and our average raise has been $8-12. In this instance, because we are out of position, we want to raise a decent amount. However, we do not wish to commit ourselves being out of position in the event an over card hit’s the board. With that in mind, we choose to raise to $8, which is the low end of our raising range, yet the middle of the table’s average raise.

We end up with a call on the button, as well as from the big blind. A flop of King-Nine-Seven occurs. The king is an over card, but should not be a cause for immediate concern. The big blind checks. As a tight aggressive player, we will make a continuation bet. While we want to bet, we do not yet wish to strive for commitment to this pot, as we do not yet know whether to concern ourselves with that king. We decide to bet a bit above half the $25 pot, and make a bet of $14, leaving $178 behind in our stack.

The button, who is known for playing a bullying style from late position raises to $32. The big blind folds. The raise to $32 puts the total pot at ~$70. We can either raise, call or fold. Folding is not an option, as we cannot put the button on a king yet, as he could be attempting a steal from position. Raising is not yet an option, as we have not been able to determine whether or not the king helped him, or whether he has flopped a set. A call is the best option because we are able to exercise pot control, as calling does not quite commit us yet.

The pot sits at $88, and our stack at $146 going into the turn. The turn card brings a Jack, which puts a possible straight on the board (Q-10 would be the straight, which we are not too worried about considering we hold a pair of queens), as well as two cards to the flush. Checking this turn card does nothing, as doing so could encourage a bluff. We decide to bet a third of the pot here. This will look like a value bet to the button. If he lacks a set or a hand such as ace-king, he will be able to do nothing but call. If he moves all-in after we have bet back into him, we can fold with confidence. We bet the $30 on the turn. The button calls.

The pot now contains roughly $150, with our stacks at $116. The river card is a two of diamonds, completing the flush. We know that the pot is a big pot, and we need to take it down. Additionally, with the smooth call by the button on the turn, we are rather certain the player is not holding Ace-King or a set, as he would likely have raised us after we were willing to bet back into his raise.

Again, we cannot check here, as he will likely move at the pot, bluffing or not. For that very reason, we must take a stab at the pot. We decide to put the tough decision on the button, because after all, tight aggressive play is all about keeping our own decisions easy, and making life tougher on our opposition. With that in mind, we move all-in. The player ponders for a while and folds - showing pocket tens.

Pocket Queens Scenario 2: On the Button

Early position player raises to $6 preflop with two callers. Calling here could be acceptable; however, we are on the button. We decide to bump it to $20, and end up heads up with the original raiser.

Heads up with a ~$50 pot, the flop comes Ten-Four-Two. The early position player checks. We have flopped an over pair, which is the most likely of flops. The Early player could be checking because he flopped a monster, or he could be checking because he merely called our re-raise and expects a bet from us.

With the over pair and being in position, we can bet anywhere from 50% to 125% of the pot and justify it. We decide to bet the pot here, as the pot will reach the commitment threshold with either a call or a raise. We wish to be committed with an over pair.

The player raises all-in, and we call. Our queens stand up versus pocket jacks and we take down the pot.

With a hand such as pocket queens, we want to raise to narrow the field a bit, and take control of the pot from the flop on. We plan to commit in the event we flop an over pair, and look to gradually control the pot in search of information if an over card occurs. By playing pocket queens aggressively from any position, we minimize the risk of getting our queens outdrawn or cracked by playing them incorrectly and we maximize the value of this premium starting hand.

Now that you have studied how to aggressively play pocket queens it is time to put the lesson to use. You can do that by playing and practicing for free or real money in any of our recommended online poker rooms.