Small Pair From Early Positions In Hold'em My analysis has shown that pairs smaller than fives are

not usually profitable f rom early positions in a limit hold 'em game. This is true whether the game is l oose or tight. Fives are about break-even when played correctly on the flop and beyond. You might play these small-pair hands on rare occasions, just to make your strat egy seem more bewildering to opponents. When you do, you should almost mostly ca ll in hopes of seeing the flop cheaply, while raising only once in a long while for deception. If you follow this formula -- seldom play tiny pairs from early p ositions and when you do almost always just call -- you'll make the most profit in the long run. When you begin with Ace-King suited, Table XIX gives you an idea what sort of Fl ops you can expect. Once every 20,000 times you will have a Royal Flush after th e Flop. It's more than 2 to 1 against an Ace or a King flopping. (Not shown: If you begin with Ace-King and stay through seven cards there's a 49% chance of at least one other Ace or King turning up.) When you begin with a Pair of Kings, ac cording to Table XX, two more Kings will flop (giving you 4-Kings), once in abou t 400 times. You can expect any Flop that includes a King 12% of the time. What you definitely do not want to see is a Flop consisting of one Ace and no King but that will happen 19% of the time. (Not shown: If you begin with two Queens, at least one Ace or King, but no Queen, will flop 38% of the time.) When you begin with an inferior hand like Q - J (Pinochle), Table XXI, it's 100% to 1 against you flopping a Straight. More than two out of three times the Flop will not include a Queen or a Jack. If you hold Aces and four parts of a Straight after the Flop, 41.4% of the time you will not improve, according to Table XXII. Table XXIII shows what can be exp ected if you hold four cards to a Flush with no Pair after the Flop. About 35% o f the time, you'll make the Flush. Table XXIV tells you that in a 10-handed Hold 'em game, there's better than a 13 % chance that no one will hold an Ace before the Flop. If you're against nine op ponents and you hold Ace-Jack, there's better than one chance in four that no ot her player holds an Ace. If you're in a 10-handed game with King-Queen, there's a 15.6% chance that no opponent has you high-carded. In a four-handed game, it's better than even money that no one will be dealt an Ace before the Flop. Table XXV provides you with basic facts about Hold 'em. It's 16 to 1 against hol ding a Pair before the Flop. It's 13 to 4 that you will not begin with suited ca rds. You will hold one Ace or two Aces before the Flop 15% of the time. If you h ave Trips after the Flop, you'll end up with a Full House or better about a thir d of the time. If you begin with a Pair, it's 15 to 2 against another card of th at kind flopping. If you begin with a Pair and stay through Seven cards, 19% of the time you'll see the third card of your kind turn-up. Table XXVI deals with long shots. When you begin suited, it's 118 to 1 against f lopping a Flush. If you begin with 9-8 suited, it's about 5,000 to 1 against flo pping a Straight-Flush.