Flopped Set vs. 3-Flush flop

Hi everybody;


i've been playing a pot limit game, 1-2 blinds with a max $200 buy-in. I've been in this situation several times, in both late and early position. I would limp with low pairs such as 44 or 55, proceed to see the flop, and hit a set, only to find that all three cards are the same suit.


Similarly, i've seen this happen with the set vs the 3-str8. This always frustrates me in the heat of play, and my flopped sets usually get me into trouble......is there any hard rule to playing sets to intimidating flushes or straights?

This depends on the number of players in, and their positions, and their preflop action. For example, if all I was up against was a couple of late position limpers, I'd be cautious. If I was up against only an early position raiser, I'd play it aggressively. This is one reason that limping in with pairs in early/mid position can be painful -- if you're there, you should probably check and fold to strong action, especially if you're not heads-up. As Doyle says, also: don't lose all your checks in an unraised pot. You can be up against a made nut hand you can only beat by filling up or hitting your quad out, and that's a bad place to be. You certainly don't want to call $150-200 in betting by the river to show down over a $8 pot.

Look at it this way.


If all the money goes in, are you the favorite? Almost certainly not. You have a good-but-vulnerable hand that might or might not be the best, but if you get a lot of action, you're behind.


It's ok to take a poke at the pot, but don't call a big raise unless you have a good read on the person (difficult online). I would much prefer to see a turn card cheaply, and try to take the pot there. The naked A has more trouble calling, and you can respect a big raise more.


Position will turn this hand from being dangerous to your stack to likely profitable.


- target