subject: Learn to Play Online Poker Guide to When You Should Fold a Strong Set [print this page] Learn to Play Online Poker Guide to When You Should Fold a Strong Set
The other day I was having a fun free poker site Sit and Go game when my belief in the strength of sets was severely shaken. If you're not sure what I mean by set then it's simple, it's a hand made of a pocket pair plus a board card of the same rank, for example, you get pocket 6's (6-6) and the flop comes up 4-6-8
More so, it was a sharp free online poker lesson on maturity. I know now when a Sets power is diminished.
A Set is very powerful if, say, you have 5-5 and the flop comes A-10-5. At this point, against A-x (excepting A-10), you will be a 99-1 favorite, and if the other player happened to have A-K or A-Q, you will see all the trouble he will have later when he moves all-in or calls your all-in.
But at this Sit-and-Go, with six players (blinds 10-20, average stack 1500), I was first to act. I had 4c-4s. I raised to 50. The button called, as well as the blinds.
The flop came 4h-6h-7d. Small blind checked; before me, big blind bet 200.
I said to myself, "How could he place such a big old bet (pot-sized)?". Those players in previous hands always play any hand that drops on their computer screens. They may have A-6 or A-7, but also 8-7 or even 8-5. Or any two Hearts. They never know when to fold or not. And you don't know when your made Two-Pair will be crushed.
So I figured that the power of my Set was gravely reduced, so I just called in the hope that the Board would pair during the Turn, but the main reason is because there are were dangerous cards that can fall.
A Three, a Five or an Eight will render my Set unplayable, unless everyone checks; a Heart will jeopardize my chances.
Usually, I am inclined to move all-in with a Set, but there might be a stray Five. They are willing to call all-ins, even with draws. Even with gutshot draws. They do it all day.
And I can't banish them out of a draw by power-play. What if all of them call?
The turn came 3d. There are two Flush draws on the Board and one to a Straight.
Small blind checks; the Big Blind moved all-in (he had 1400 chips, I had 1200).
On already a pot of 2200, although I am getting 2-to-1 on a call all-in (or possibly 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 if the two others call), I folded. The Button called; Small Blind folded.
They showed the hands I guessed they had: an Ad-5c, and Qh-Jh. Either way, I will be smothered if I called too; the chance of the Board pairing is just 25% (10 out of 40) and I would be getting only 3-to-1. Not only I escaped devastating math; I also escaped the onslaught of made hands and big draws.
The point of this is: If a good hand doesn't stay good, then it's no longer good. Its goodness is just a memory, and if you pursue the beaten path your chips will soon turn into a memory as well. Try it out of free poker sites and see how yoo go before risking real cash.
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