Recognizing Sets

[DarkWolfYoda]

I was wondering if anyone had any strategy or insight to recognizing when yout opponent hits a set. I'm talking mainly about pocket pairs that hit on dry boards. I find it difficult to get away from top pair or two pair on a dry board especially as the aggressor of the hand.

I know specific examples are more useful but I'm mostly just looking for general knowledge on how to handle these situations better.

 

[MishkaZL]

I was wondering if anyone had any strategy or insight to recognizing when yout opponent hits a set. I'm talking mainly about pocket pairs that hit on dry boards. I find it difficult to get away from top pair or two pair on a dry board especially as the aggressor of the hand.

I know specific examples are more useful but I'm mostly just looking for general knowledge on how to handle these situations better.

I think the best option is to just play with strong hands and use the position at the table. You should always have a clear understanding of your chances and be able to critically evaluate them. Sometimes "fold" is the best solution that allows us to save our chances of winning.

 

[daniel888]

It's difficult to fold when your top pair or two pair. But it's still possible, especially on the dry board because if you hit the top pair you will block his top pair so the probability that he raises with top pair will decrease and mostly he will have better hands than that.

 

[alien666dj]

This can be determined by paying attention to the rates and activity of the player. It is also necessary to analyze the game of opponents in Holdem manager 2 or 3, Hand2Note, Poker Tracker 3 or 4.

 

[nutself]

In multiway pot, when there is a preflop raise and several callers, if there are betting and raising on the flop, and you are on late position, then in such situation there likely someone has a set or even set against set.

 

[Zapahlohotrona]

If the opponent is adequate, they usually check-raise with a set, if they call preflop and the board is dangerous. If the board is not dangerous, then the turn is check-raised. Or they call all the way and then shove.

 

[AlexStar1981]

Well, that's right. Nobody canceled the tight and aggressive strategy. How to see a pair in the opponent's hands? Probably this can only be done with special glasses)))))

 

[lukovnikofff]

I was wondering if anyone had any strategy or insight to recognizing when yout opponent hits a set. I'm talking mainly about pocket pairs that hit on dry boards. I find it difficult to get away from top pair or two pair on a dry board especially as the aggressor of the hand.

I know specific examples are more useful but I'm mostly just looking for general knowledge on how to handle these situations better.

I myself have found myself in similar situations many times, but I never found out a specific answer to this question, each situation is considered individually and you need to look at many factors, I try to follow my opponents throughout the game and observe what hands they open and how they are played, then I do everything according to my instinct! I would also like to find an answer to this question, I think that more experienced players of our forum will tell us this! Good luck to everyone at the tables!

 

[Negan92222]

I feel you on this one, I also think that at some point everyone will hit one, but I always struggle to fold. I think the best thing to say is not to all in. Sure you can re raise them instead but if they go all in you know they probably do have it.

 

[NWPatriot]

These are "transparent hands", when opponents hit a set or hit a 2 pair using both of their hole cards. We can glean some info from their betting and checking behaviors, but not knowing is part of the game.

Since we "can't know", then we need to play our hand accordingly. What we should ask ourselves is if we should really be playing for stacks with just top pair? I say no. We are beat by many transparent hands so it might be best to be content to win some hands knowing that we will be losing many. It is not like top pair will have >90% equity no matter what the board is. It it the 2nd worst hand by the way.

Reading your opponent is all well and good, but I suggest focusing on right-sizing your investments. That is what you can control.

Good luck and God Bless.

 

[manIk5]

In my opinion , you can recognize it by knowing your opponents and their styles of play ! But its also very hard to fold top pair or 2 pairs vs such opponent . But mostly when people hit sets , they slowplay them till the end . So if you are in that spot and vs that kind of opponent , I would try to see it as cheaply as possible !

Hope it helps

 

[okeedokalee]

Does your opponents activity match with the potential range for that villain on a dry board..
If a tight player is betting where it looks unusual then a set is a possibility.
A loose player will try and exploit dry flops.
Does the post-flop action agree with how the villain played pre-flop?
A tight payers range may look like, 66+,ATs+,AJo+, the Villain probably raises pre-flop the better part of this range, TT+,AJs+,AKo and calls the bottom part.
How does the flop tally with this assessment.

 

[pirateglenn]

A dry board where someone has hit their set with generally mean they will check if its a multi way pot hoping for someone to bet out or raise, if no one does then its pretty much certain they will make sure they add value to the next turn card, often i have seen someone raise with a bigger pair on the turn or river only to see a check raise- however again if its a multi way pot - they may wait until the river in the hope they hit their boat and the board either 2 pairs for someone or straightens out or offers a flush.
So what if they bet out on the flop having hit their set? Look at the bet sizing and weigh up whether you have good pot odds to call..

 

[ROYALROAD]

It all depends on the situation.
Players in a set usually become quiet once.

 

[Uncloggie]

It's easier to read the other players than their cards.

 

[JordanH]

Most of the time it's pretty obvious when someone is playing a set. Many people like to slow-play them, so when that big bet comes on the river I usually won't make the hero call without the better hand, which I never would have gotten had villain not slow-played.

 

[blueskies]

Generally if they are set mining and hit a set on the flop they gonna be check calling. Then check raise if you bet again. If board texture is wet they may simply check call you three times.

If you have position and only have top pair, you wanna consider just betting for two streets of value. If they suddenly shove when a "safe" card lands, it's probably a set.

 

[frank174]

that,s the thing about sets, it,s really hard to put someone on them,lets say you have AK and raise 5 times the big blind the flop come,s AK3, you bet pot and they come over the top all in,do you really think your laying your hand down here,somehow I really doubt it,now if you played that hand super passive you might get away from it but even then I doubt it

 

[akmost]

It's one of the toughest tasks in the game in my opinion. Sometimes in dry unconnected boards if we have two pairs or even a strong top pair we can easily go broke , I mean if he has it, it has it BUT everything as you know depends in poker.

I will disagree with some previous posters , in freerolls-low limits where I play the players play with their cards ''faced up''(mostly in the early stages of a MTT) especially if you see weird check raises or aggression out of the blue then they have it for sure(two pairs - set or better).

I mean some very bad players even donk bet their set in super dry boards, come on guys what are you doing?

Be aware of suspicious flats because small pocket pairs are super good flats in position or even in the blinds and good luck with that!

 

[LetterRip]

On dry boards with a dry runout, if a player who was the preflop caller in a single raised pot, raises the turn or river it is usually two pair or a set unless they are a bluff monkey or a good player (good players will raise turn or river as a bluff with air occasionally if you barrel too much).