Learning No-Limit From Scratch ­- Playing Sets and Set Mining Correctly: The Basics

Sets are great hands, often acquiring high expected value (EV) action from hands drawing very thin. Therefore, it’s essential to maximize their value. It’s also important to know when and how to play your small and medium pairs. You’re about 7.5:1 to flop a set. Making sure you have the correct implied odds when set mining will allow you to play your small pairs profitably.

Set mining with small and medium pairs is more profitable the higher your implied odds. A low entry price with the opportunity for a high reward is what we’re looking for. Loose-passive, deep effective-stacked opponents are optimal. That said, it’s not a perfect world, and you have to play the hand you’re dealt in the situation in which it was dealt the best you can. Knowing the correct adjustments to the current situation will add great value. You ascertain this by weighing all the plausible scenarios, including the possibility of flopping your set and losing.

Preflop, the lower the entry price, the more opponents, the less likely you’ll get raised, the higher the propensity to get large wagers called, and the higher the chances that your set will win, the greater the value of your pair.

Limping with pairs in loose-passive games where there is little preflop raising is generally correct. In games with a lot of preflop raising, but limited three-betting, putting in a small raise that will not cause your opponents to fold, but discourage them from three-betting, can be correct. That allows you to set the price and lower the odds of being forced to fold or call a large raise, without significantly harming your implied odds.

Calling raises to set mine is highly situationally dependent. I’ve read many rules of thumb recommendations for regarding your opponent’s stack size guidelines and I’ve determined they are incomplete. The propensity to acquire your opponent’s stack is far more important to the equation than its size. Disregarding fold equity, an opponent you know has A-A or K-K and won’t fold post-flop with 12x your preflop entry price is better implied odds than an opponent who probably won’t call large wagers with 20x your entry price. Consider your implied price. What can happen preflop after you act? Are more players likely to call? Is it likely to get reraised? How deep are the stacks? In this situation what are the odds you can stack someone?

Once you flop a set, obtaining the highest possible value is critically important. Determining the right play is mostly an interrelated function of position, board texture, and opponents’ tendencies. You must evaluate how the hand will likely play and adjust accordingly.

Your position, not just in relation to the button, but also in relation to your other opponents should determine your play. Consider the positon of any preflop raiser and his propensity to bet or raise post-flop. Does a leading bet or a check-raise put players in-between you and the raiser who may call your bet? Is there a way your position creates dead money, lowers your opponents’ pricing or grows the pot? Keep in mind that your objective is to cause your opponents to make pricing errors, not to protect your hand and shut them out.

Board texture is important in determining your bet sizing and play strategy. On draw-heavy boards, such as J 10 8 which are likely to hit large segments of your opponents ranges, you can be more confident of getting action. On such boards you can generally bet larger and raise more frequently with your sets. Keep in mind these textures of flops give your opponents lots of draws, both strong and weak and giving free cards can be more deadly.

Conversely, on draw-light boards, such as 10 6 2, free cards are less threatening and your odds of winning have increased. Often the free cards will acquire greater action on your set. On such boards, bet-sizing smaller to obtain greater action is frequently more correct. Slowplaying can also a better play, but don’t slowplay in situations where you are likely to get called anyway, your slowplay will be effectively read, or there are many cards that will cripple your action. For example; if you read your opponent for an overpair on the flop, an ace coming might lose action from overpairs that are bigger than the flops top pair, but lower than an ace.

These are general concepts and don’t apply to every situation. You must read the current situation and determine if and how strongly the concepts apply. Like most poker plays, the correct choice is largely a function of your opponents. Differing tendencies dictate different play choices. You must learn to read and analyze the current situation, then determine the correct play.

Picking up a pocket pair is a common occurrence, almost six percent of the time. It’s also a hand that often plays for the big money. For those reasons, it’s an important hand grouping to play correctly.

Do that, and then the big money will come to you! ♠

Roy Cooke played poker professionally for 16 years prior to becoming a successful Las Vegas Real Estate Broker/Salesman. Should you wish any information about Real Estate matters-including purchase, sale or mortgage his office number is 702-376-1515 or Roy’s e-mail is [email protected]. His website is www.RoyCooke.com. Roy’s blogs and poker tips are at www.RoyCookePokerlv.com. You can also find him on Facebook or Twitter @RealRoyCooke