5 Tips for Playing Overpairs

Upswing Poker Level-Up

This podcast will help you win more money with hands like pocket aces, kings and queens! Poker pro Gary Blackwood shares his top 5 tips for playing overpairs in No Limit Hold’em. These tips will help you get better results with your strong overpairs like Aces on a King-high flop, as well as your vulnerable overpairs like Pocket Eights on a Seven-high flop.

Get Gary Blackwood’s master class on making money with overpairs inside the Upswing Lab training course. Use coupon code LEVELUP to get $50 off at: https://upswingpoker.com/the-poker-lab-coaching

Written Version of this Episode

00:00 Introduction to Overpairs Strategy

03:08 Tip 2: Adjusting Strategy Based on Position

04:55 Tip 3: The Ladder Effect in Bet Frequency

07:55 Tip 4: Responding to Check Raises with Overpairs

09:25 Tip 5: Overpair Strategy in Four-Bet Pots

12:24 Advanced Play: Small Raise in Four-Bet Pots

14:42 Tangent: Differentiating Between Rainbow and Flush Draw Boards

16:19 Final Thoughts and Course Promotion

In this episode of our poker strategy podcast, hosts Mike Brady and Gary Blackwood delve into the intricacies of playing overpairs in No-Limit Hold'em cash games. Overpairs like pocket aces, kings, and queens can be incredibly profitable, but only if you know how to navigate the various scenarios that arise during gameplay. Gary, a seasoned poker pro, shares his top five tips to help you maximize your earnings and minimize your losses with overpairs in single-raised pots, three-bet pots, and even four-bet pots.

The podcast begins with a discussion on playing overpairs in single-raised pots, where the stack-to-pot ratio is high, and board texture plays a crucial role. Gary explains why you should often check your strongest overpairs on unfavorable boards to avoid overcommitting in tricky situations. He introduces the concept of the "ladder effect," explaining why lower overpairs, such as eights or nines, should be bet more frequently than higher ones like aces, which require less protection from overcards.

Next, the hosts explore how your position—whether you're in or out—affects your betting strategy with overpairs. Mike uses the Lucid GTO trainer to demonstrate how bet sizes and frequencies should change based on your position, showing that checking more frequently out of position helps build a balanced and unexploitable strategy.

Listeners will also learn how to play overpairs effectively in three-bet pots by adopting a robust check-raising strategy, especially when out of position. Gary discusses why it's often correct to play aggressively with hands like queens and jacks in tighter three-bet scenarios but to avoid doing so in looser, single-raised pots where the ranges are wider.

The episode then moves into four-bet pot strategies, where the stack-to-pot ratio is much smaller, and players are generally more willing to get all the money in with their overpairs. Gary outlines when to shove and when to use smaller raises, depending on the board texture and the strength of your hand.

This poker strategy podcast is packed with actionable insights, perfect for anyone looking to refine their approach to playing overpairs. Tune in, learn from the experts, and take your cash game strategy to the next level with tips that are sure to improve your performance at the table.