My analysis has shown that pairs smaller than fives are not usually profitable from early positions in a limit hold ’em game. This is true whether the game is loose 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 strategy seem more bewildering to opponents. When you do, you should almost mostly call 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 positions and when you do almost always just call — you’ll make the most profit in the long run.
