Advice on Sets Please

[fadedblue]

I always play a flopped set very fast and aggressive. Even when the flop has two or three suited cards I keep raising and re-raising. Is this wrong?

Four times in a row with some monster sets holding AA or KK I've been beaten by straights and flushes. I know the old saying that if your set gets beat without it costing you a lot of money, you played it wrong. Four times in a row certainly isn't statistically relevant as it's a rather small sample. Still, it has me wondering if I should adjust my play and consider calling some raises instead of re-raising. What is everyone's thoughts on this?

[Lawrence Ng]

Hi there fadedblue,

It depends /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

If I am in early position or 1st to act, I will always bet out. If I am in MP and there's an early bet out, I will always raise to make the late position callers pay the price to draw. If I am late position or last to act and there's bets out already and lots of callers, I will usually just call the flop and if the 4th suited/straight card does not show up on the turn I will raise the turn and make other draws pay.

Often times a set is the best hand, and yes if you didn't lose a lot of money - you didn't play a set right and that's very true. If you shy away a bit too often from raising or reraising you will lose out on the extra bets gained from players who are indeed drawing live or dead. Plus you always have outs to hit for the boat/quad so a flush or straight will pay you off if you do make it.

I've yet to lay down a set heads up on the river because the pot is usually big enough to justify a calldown to see the other hand. After all, if you fold on the river thinking the other player has a made hand you will lose an entire pot. But if you call and are wrong all you lose is 1 more big bet. Now you tell me what's worse? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[fadedblue]

Thanks Lawrence. I think I've been playing the hand too aggressively from certain positions. Unlike most hands, I've always liked a set enough to play it hard and fast regardless of position. Maybe I need to look at saving a few bets where it might make sense. I've never folded a set, and appreciate your sentiment with regard to that.