Folding Sets

When you have a pocket pair, and you hit your set on the flop or the turn, it is a very difficult hand for you to be able to get rid of it without experiencing too much financial pain in the process.

The Differences between Limit Texas Holdem and No Limit Texas Holdem

There is a very big difference between playing your set in a Limit Texas Holdem game and in a No Limit Texas Holdem poker game. In a limit game, where the bet amounts are fixed, it is very possible that you may want to see what cards come off on the turn or on the flop, and can just make the called in order to see if your set will hold up, or to possibly improve your hand even more by making quads or a full house. When you do make a full house, you will then no longer have any reason to be concerned about the players that made their straight draws and their flush draws. One of the advantages of Limit over No Limit in Texas Holdem is that you can play speculative hands without the worry of facing a big bet as you might face in No Limit Texas Holdem. The drawback is that the maximum that you can make, should your hand come in, is also reduced by the fixed betting arrangement.

Against Flushes and Straights

Suppose that you have a pair of pocket tens, 10♣ 10♦, and the flop comes out as 10♠ J♠ Q♠. The good news is that you hit your set and now have trip tens. The bad news is that there are straight, flush, straight flush, and even a royal flush possibility out there. You will need to be very careful with this hand because you could already be beaten by a straight or a flush and, even if the board pairs or you make quads, there is still a straight flush and a royal flush possibility or draw out there that could beat you. If the action is checked to you on the flop, then you may want to bet out and see if you can take this pot down right here. But be prepared for a check raise because there are potentially some pretty good hands out there.

Folding Sets When the Action Demands that You Do

Sometimes the betting action just takes off, and this is almost always a sign of a couple of players making really strong hands. Trips are a good hand, but there are many hands that can beat trips. When the betting action goes through the roof in the hand and you are sitting with a set, you need to consider what possible hands that you are up against. Just take a look at the board and you can see what possibilities are out there. Try to match those possibilities up with the way that those players have been playing their hands, and you should be able to get a good idea as to whether you are beaten or not.