by Al Sousa (site owner)
Set: Having a pair in your hand and another card
of the same rank comes down on the board.
You have 8 8
and the flop comes A 85.
Sets are one of the most powerful hands to have on the flop. Even
on a dangerous flop with a flush and straight draw the set is still
winning 2/3rd of the time. Sets are the hands that make you the
most money in a holdem game, in my opinion. Sets are very will disguised
so opponents will not give you credit for hitting one.
How to Play Sets: Bets these hands strong. Where
to raise this hands depends on who is left to act, position, and
who is betting.
EXAMPLE:
Your Hand T T,
Board: K8T
If you are 1st to act you must bet this flop. Do not give draws
a free card. If it is raised after you bet, reraise, this board
is dangerous so you have to make the draws pay. Being last to offers
different opportunities. If there is a double draw, as the above
board shows, and a lot of callers you can wait till the turn to
raise if there is an early bettor and callers between the better
and you. The reason is that you can't protect your hand. They will
call anyways. So if the draw misses on the turn and the original
better keeps betting then you can raise and make the draws pay a
double big bet (instead of the flop small bet) to continue. If the
draw hits you have saved yourself some money and can call for the
full house or quads draw. If the better is aggressive and will 3
bet a flop you might consider raising the flop in position. Hopefully
he will reraise you forcing all the draws to pay double. Now you
can cap the flop maximizing your gain.
When slowplaying a set, waiting till the turn to raise, you need
a relatively safe board that looks like it missed everyone, but
I would always bet if checked to. Safe boards are 77
with a board of Q73
and no preflop raisers. But to slowplay I would suggest at most
2 opponents. At rare times the turn comes a blank and if you feel
your single opponent is betting a marginal hand you can wait to
raise on the river. They will almost always call for one more bet
on the river.
Bottom Sets: I would always bet these strong and
never slowplay. So many players will be calling down with a pair
in their hand hoping to catch their miricle set. Make sure they
pay for drawing to their 2 outer. A bottom set, whill still very
strong, is vulnerable to larger sets. One of the most expensive
and profitable flops is the one where 2 players made a set.
When playing sets stop and think about how to gain the most money.
Different boards, number of callers, and position will determine
how you play the set, there is no specific rule. Remember its a
very strong disguised hand where a lot of money is made. If top
set is made it is less likely people will call since they will have
a lower pair and believe you have top pair. If you hold 3 of one
rank it is very inlikely someone else holds the 4th of that rank.
Bottom sets can make more money, in my opinion, since your set is
not a card anyone else has so most likely they are betting and calling
with the 2 higher cards. 33
on a board of KQ3
will make you more money than KK
on the same board.
One final note on sets. It is almost never wrong to call down on
the river with a set if you think you are beaten. It would take
many opponents to the river, an obvious draw, a bet, then raise
to even consider folding. But at this point the pot is so large
most of the time you will have to be 95%+ sure you are beaten to
fold.
Trips: Having a non-pair in your hand and two
cards of the same rank to one of your hole cards comes down on the
board.
Your Hand: A6,
Board: T66.
Trips are a strong hand but usually will not get the action of
a set because the hand is obvious and your opponents are less likely
to hit the flop (you have 3 of the board cards). This means it is
most likely that no one else holds your last card, the 6
in the example above. If there is a draw on the board then you will
get callers. Only players with a draw or a pair of the other card
on the board might continue with their hand. Trips can also be counterfeit
if the another card on the board pairs or a wired pair of an opponent
hits his set. You should never consider slowplaying trips unless
you are headsup from the start.
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