Set Mining

Do you play small pairs for set mining purposes or do you just fold them because you think it is not worth it?

if you can get a good price to set mine it's always worth it. facing a 3 or 4 bet imm usually folding because usually we're behind and flipping at best.

Freerollpass said:

Do you play small pairs for set mining purposes or do you just fold them because you think it is not worth it?

Click to expand...

If the flop can be seen cheaply or pot odds are amazing yes otherwise fold.

Freerollpass said:

Do you play small pairs for set mining purposes or do you just fold them because you think it is not worth it?

Click to expand...

If blinds are still low or you are deep enough and getting good odds then set mining is definitely worth it.

Just don't get into the bad habit of calling every small pair you have looking to hit that set.

People overplay small pairs late in tournaments. No shame in just folding when you are low on BBs. Shoving is better than set-mining in these situations though.

If you are deep stacked it is good to play small pairs waiting for set. If you hit they the set you can easily get huge pot especially if you have another player with top pair in the game. At later stage when you have less than 20 blinds it is not worth it to play small pairs anymore.

Freerollpass said:

Do you play small pairs for set mining purposes or do you just fold them because you think it is not worth it?

Click to expand...

Well, this depends on the blinds)

Depends on the Blinds and whos at the table. You can Call Ducks cheap hit your set on the flop and be committed to getting sucked out by an open ender. Usually Ill raise any pair just to secure myself PvP instead of having 3 other people in who may also be cheap calling with a small pair

That is always the answer from every poker player you ask any poker related question.. "That Depends" .. lol position in the right spot yes, seeing the flop at a good price.. yes. otherwise fold.
I remember one hand i was holding 22 in the BB and it limped around.. so i got to see the flop for free.. but then a mid position bet half pot on a J 5 10 rainbow board.. i folded.. the turn was a 2.. and the river was a 2.. I would have had quads!!!
...even worse.. the mid position won the showdown with Ace high

You dont want to set mine if effective stacks are under 30bbs, otherwise you are not getting paid enough when you hit.

Hitting a set has gotten me deep, but never to a final table. That might have something to do with the rest of my game tho...

In cash games it's been the hand of the night or has gotten me unstuck a few times. Just sayin'

Depends on position and nothing is cast in stone but.

If OP and blind stacks are not both a good size 22-66 usually hit the muck.

Otherwise OP with no prior action I use my normal open Raise size about 40% of the time and just flat the rest with "ANY" pair.

Facing action, in the Button or blinds totally different strategy based on many factors.

I almost never fold a pocket pair preflop (few exceptions such as an all-in from one player before me and if I have 22 to 77). Set mining is a great thing to do to get a ton of chips from your opponent and trap them. Of course, I would recommend slow playing your set if you don't see an obvious straight draw or flush draw.

That is what small pocket pairs are all about !!!

I always played by the rule of being able to win 10x the bet you are calling. You need to be able to win enough from your opponents esp if you are only going to proceed post flop when you flop a set.


So for example, if you are calling a bet of 100 then your opponent would need at least 1000 remaining in his stack to set mine profitably

Depends on the blinds and position

If we are deep and the call proves profitable in the long run, I'm in. If we are tilting, I'm thinking of shoving. If we have an average stack, I play small pockets accordingly.

I like Splitsuit's video on this topic. Don't set mine if they have less than 25x their opening bet left in their stack. Otherwise you're getting into -EV territory.