How to sniff out someone betting on a set

I just started playing for cash w/ a small bankroll. Been up and down learning the ropes and trying different strategies. Some of them work some of them don't but over all I've been playing and experimenting off winnings w/o touching my bankroll. I must say that a lot of the strategies I pull off the forum here work like a charm.

What are some tell tale signs when someone hits a set?

In all honesty I'd say I get taken on a bad beat by someone catching the trip on the river about 1/2 the time in these low stakes games. I'm guessing the higher the stakes you don't have these morons putting you all in w/ like a 4,9 unsuited correct? Seriously I got beat that way on a A,K suited after I had hit 2 pair by the turn and then the nitwit caught the trip 4 on the river. I bet my hand accordingly trying to get them to fold but they just hold on and on and on! I'll keep moving my way up in stakes as my bankroll gets bigger, but please tell me at some point MOST of these JA's who bet ridiculous amounts on stupid hands disappear and you get to start playing the "game within the game" properly. I've also noticed when you're sitting at the table face to face instead of behind a computer, people aren't so willing to push their hard earned money in on these types of hands so I'm guessing this trend of stupidity has to do w/ the fact I'm playing online poker as well. Am I correct in any of these assumptions?

BTW I'm not playing tourney's yet. I understand you play tourney's a lot different than cash games.

Its your assumptions, just came from a $1/2 cash game, people raised with K3, 92o, and 34o out of position, there were reraises with TT (note i dont even pop QQs, keep pot small, and play big when I connect or think im ahead) Ive played with these people, and they lose, but they dont notice they lose. See they win a six hundred dollar pot with 92o, and have a story to tell, but they forget they went broke that night, or they made 400 profit, but have lost 1000 last week,playing crap like that. Anyways i digress, first key to know someone hits a set (set is pair in your hand that connects the board, trips is 2 matching cards on board with one in your hand) on you is= the check raise, especially by a tight player, other than that its hard to detect. Now to Trips, flopped trips is easy to spot, as the trips takes up most of the cards in play, so if you feel resistance, then what else can they have, slow down. If opp calls you with botom pair, and you have flopped top two, and your betting the flop and turn with good bets and they trip on the river, then buy more chips your in an easy game. Good bets are depending on the situation, but id say in general at least 1/2 pot size bets, with out draws, and at least 3/4 pot bets with draws on board. gl

A sudden big check raise on the turn is usually telling.

If you sniff something, just keep the pot small.

Thanks for the help guys. Getting the lingo down as we speak lol! Kingspin I always wondered why sometimes they call them trips and sometimes its called a set. So obviously the set is much harder to detect. The check raise on the flop and turn makes total sense. I've just gotta commit all these kinds of tip offs to memory. As a matter of fact, I've found the more that I lose (disregarding the bad beat cuz you can't help that) in these types of situations the more I learn.

To look at it from the other side of the coin. How would you guys bet either a set or if you get trips at some point between the flop and river? If the check raise is a good indicator can you fly low somehow and drive up the pot size? Or do you want to push as many people out of the pot so they don't have the opp to see the turn and/or river?

Online on a dry board, most villains would call a c-bet in position when they flop a set, and raise for value if bet into again. It's the pattern I see time and time again.