Best order to play these games in

So I've played through all of Borderlands 1 in co-op, minus the DLC, and bought Borderlands 2 GOTY this summer to play before this came out. Our plan was to finish the DLC in 1, then jump into 2, but my co-op partner has been busy and we haven't found time to yet. The wiki says this takes place between 1 and 2, so I'm wondering if it's best played next, especially if it's not as strong of a game as 2. Or does the story and references assume I already played 2? I'm half considering playing the DLC in 1 and then starting this game on my own, unless it makes more sense to play 2 first.

The story, so far, assumes you've played both 1 (and the General Knoxx DLC) and the second game. Like, they flat out spoil a major event in the second game early on in TPS. The game itself is set before the second, but the story is being told by characters who are living in a post-BL 2 world. If that makes sense.

Play them as they were released. A lot of the story in this one plays heavily on already established "lore".

@ares42: @donchipotle: Thanks, exactly what I was looking for.

Play the first one then don't play the rest.

Yeah, what these guys said. The Pre-Sequel references Borderlands 2 quite a bit.

Marathoning Borderlands sounds like a terrible idea. Playing something else in between if you want to keep your sanity.

I have probably put 2 or 300 hours into BL2 and I don't give a rats ass about the story. The characters yes. But the story who cares.

Also what poster above me says. BL marathon sounds like a slippery slope. These games are borderline mmo crack.