Overpairs on Weak Boards
Pair versus pair is traditionally one of the quickest ways to see big money changes hands in online poker. Especially when the pair are large, odds are often that you will see a lot of money go into the pot. Players with medium to large pairs often operate under the idea that their opponent probably couldn’t also have a pair at the same time. Therefore, when the flop comes down all rags and you are still holding an overpair with pocket nines, it seems like a cakewalk that your opponent has to be holding AK or AQ that missed instead of pockets 10s or jacks or better.
If you are facing an online poker opponent who raised or called your raise before the flop, there is always the chance they also have a pair. Betting out with an overpair is usually correct, but when you get reraised it might be time to think about the possibility he has an overpair too (not to mention that he might have flopped a set or etc.)
Overpairs are nice, but at the end of the day they are only one pair. You never want to go broke just holding a pairit’s the weakest hand in the game besides just a high card. Proceed, but proceed cautiously, and base your judgment on your poker online opponent’s historyhow he has operated on bigger pairs than yours in the past, what he would likely do if he had one now, etc.