Set Mining

I have recently switched over to Ring games, and have seen some good profit already. Thanks in large part to set mining. People at lower stakes are more than happy to stack with TPTK, only to watch you flip over a set.

Is set mining just as profitable at higher stakes?

Set mining: I can't say I have ever heard of this term

PokerVector said:

Set mining: I can't say I have ever heard of this term

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Playing all or almost all pocket pairs hoping to get a set on the flop and get paid off nicely.

Errant, I don't have enough experience at high stakes or even medium stakes to answer your question unfortunately.

I dont think i's as profitable because many of the higher stakes games are much more aggressive and you would lose a lot in blinds and calling raises waiting for sets and then even when you do hit a set, they may not stack off as lightly with just TPTK or the like.

Set mining is great at lower stakes. But you'll never get better and consequently never be a winner at medium-high stakes. Where people actually realize that there is a fold button.

I think depending on the limit you're playing, there may be better ways to play these pairs. You can ask more of the ring game experts, but in the higher games, it may be worth mixing it up and 3-betting at times.

The Shrog said:

I think depending on the limit you're playing, there may be better ways to play these pairs. You can ask more of the ring game experts, but in the higher games, it may be worth mixing it up and 3-betting at times.

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Exactly. I think set-mining can be profitable at any level, but at higher levels you need to mix it up a bit -- you can't just limp/call PF, then check/fold post-flop if you don't hit.

You gotta remember that your odds of being dealt a pocket pair are only 1 in 13, so if you are dealt one, there is a good chance that it's the only one at the table, even at a full table. So that's why a 3 bet is sometimes the right move.

I love set mining while playing the good old "Hit and Run" cash game strategy.

In my limited experience, there are weak players at all levels. However, it is very difficult for anyone to answer the OP's qestion because it is far to general. Sets are profitable at any level, but there are way too many factors to discuss to answer this question throughly.

That being said, the underlying value of a set is in the ability to get paid off when you make one. If you have to call half your stack to see a flop, a set is never going to be profitable. However, if you just limp in, it may be unprofitable also because it may be difficult to get a lot of money in the pot without exposing your hand.

Set Mining TIP#1
Always, and I mean ALWAYS, make sure your opponents, whether they raised or not, have a big stack if you are going to play for a set. And make sure you have a big stack too. In a $2/$4 NL game, if you are sitting there with $500 in front of you and you are "set mining" vs. a table full of $200 stacks, you are losing money. You simply won't get paid off enough when you hit to make it worth it.

Set Minint Tip #2
If you play a pair from late position in an unraised pot, consider raising even small pairs at least half of the time. The pots you pick up from continuation betting, everybody folding preflop, or actually having your pair hold up at showdown, will compensate nicely for all the times you miss and are bet off the pot. Plus, when you play a raised pot and flop a set, your hand is usually disguised and it is MUCH easier to get someone to put in their stack since, because of the raised pot, your post flop bets will be bigger enabling you to "milk" your opponents stack over several streets.