- What is Trips and a Set in Poker?
- The Strength of Trips and Sets in Poker
- Equity Comparison
- How to Play a Board Set in Poker
- Maximizing EV with a Set
- What to do if you have two sets in a hand
- Frequently Asked Questions about a Set in Poker
- What to do when your opponent has a set?
- What is the role of kickers in a set in poker?
- What to do if you make a set on the flop?
What are we talking about? A set in poker is a combination of three cards of the same rank. There are two varieties of it, equal in strength. A set is a combination of two hole and one common cards of the same rank; trips is a combination of one hole and two common cards of the same rank.
What to consider? A set is a strong, but not an unbeatable combination, so you need to play it wisely. Everything depends on the pocket pairs, the cards on the board, and the opponent’s chances of making stronger hands. The main thing is not to rush and carefully weigh your decisions.
What is Trips and a Set in Poker?
A set or trips is a combination of three cards of the same rank in poker. Both of these combinations are equal in strength and are stronger than high card, a pair and two pairs, but weaker than a straight. However, sets usually make you more money than trips, cause those hand are usually more disguised.
A set is a pocket pair and a common card on the board of the same rank. For example, if you have T♦T♣ and the board is T♠9♦4♣Q♠7♦, then you have a set of Tens.
A Trips is when there is a pair on the board and you have a card of the same rank in your hand. For example, you have T♦Q♠ and the board is T♣T♠9♦4♣7♦. In this case, the combination will look like this: T♣T♠T♦. Both trips and a set can win, but the probability of making these combinations and the chances of winning are significantly different.
The probability of making a set on the flop is about 11%, while trips is only 1.35%. In addition, when playing trips in online poker, there is a risk of running into a same combo with a stronger kicker from your opponent or a Full House, which consists of two pairs and a three of a kind. A set in poker is a more profitable combination.
Since only one common card is required to make it, it is difficult for opponents to match your hand. They can only estimate your range by analyzing bets or behavioral tells. Unlike a set, trip combos in Texas Hold’em are more obvious. Based on the pair of common cards and the aggressive style of play, opponents may assume that you have trips with a strong kicker.
This makes it more difficult to play this combination and may force players to use more cautious tactics or start bluffing. In Omaha, a set loses its significance due to the larger number of starting hands.
Three cards of the same rank form both types of three of a kind. However, there are important details that should be taken into account when playing. We will talk about these nuances below.
An equal set and trips cannot appear in the same hand, since for this to happen, there must be five suits in the deck. However, cases where a set or trips collide with a higher set or trips occur quite often. If you have made a three of a kind, you should not jump on increasing the pot. Keep in mind that your opponent may have a stronger combination.
The Strength of Trips and Sets in Poker
Trips and sets are powerful poker hands. The probability of winning with such hands depends on the board structure. If we are talking about dry, poorly coordinated flops, the equity of these combinations can exceed 90%.
With 77 on a K75 board, the equity against a wide range is 94.3%. If the situation remains favorable until the river, you can count on success in most cases. One of the key features of such a set of cards is the disguise. Most often, opponents do not guess how strong your combination is. In the case of trips, on the contrary, the opponent will be able to assume that you have this combination, especially if you play aggressively.
Equity Comparison
The equity of trips on a dry flop with different suits against the same range we used earlier is slightly lower – 93.5%. However, this is still a very high number.
When you get a set or trips, it is important to analyze the hand carefully: in most cases, you will win. However, do not lose your vigilance. Try to analyze hands to recognize situations when you should consider folding even with a strong hand.
This skill comes with experience, which can only be acquired in the process of playing. Beginners are better off playing different play money games.
How to Play a Board Set in Poker
There is a third option of making a set in poker, three of a kind from the board cards. If both players have unpaired starting cards, the probability of having three cards of the same rank on the board is only 4.5%. In this case, the one with the highest card (kicker) wins, if no one has hit a pair on the following streets.
The chances of getting a three of a kind from the common cards are very small. The probability of making a set is twice as high (11%). To play this combination successfully, it is important to consider several factors.
Let’s analyze a specific example. You have a pair of nines 9♦9♣, your opponent has high cards A♣K♠. You make the first raise from an early position. Your opponent re-raises from the button. You decide to call the bet. The flop comes K♣9♠2♦. Your opponent has top pair with top kicker. He decides to continue his aggression without thinking of possible stronger hands in your range.
Maximizing EV with a Set
Having made a set in poker, you should maximize the EV of your hand. The main characteristic of this combination is its disguise, which often leads to situations when an opponent with a top pair and a strong kicker does not guess that you have a three of a kind. He will continue to play aggressively, trying to increase the pot or make other players fold.
Players with a high-ranking pair (especially at micro stakes) are often ready to go all-in already on the flop, donating to the stack of the player who made a set. Therefore, in most cases, playing with a set in poker requires an active style of play, you should either call or raise bets.
If two or even three cards of the same suit appeared on the flop, or the board paired, then it is necessary to make the turn card as expensive as possible for your opponents. Players with draws should not be able to call profitably because of pot odds. The only risk is when the opponent has already flopped a straight, flush, or a higher set. However, these situations are very rare.
What to do if you have two sets in a hand
To make a set in poker, you need a pocket pair and a flop with a card of the same rank. Although it can be profitable to enter the game with a strong or medium pair, it does not necessarily guarantee victory on the final round of betting. Poker is a game of ranges. Opponents can always improve their hand by making a stronger combination.
It is important to consider the possibility that players can simultaneously make two sets in one hand. For example, the first player has a pair of kings, the second has a pair of aces, and the board is A♣K♦J♣8♣5♣. In this case, the first player with aces will win at showdown, since his cards have a higher rank.
If two people make a set in poker, this situation is called a “cooler”. This happens when both poker players hold strong cards that they do not intend to fold. In the previous example, we saw a classic cooler with premium pocket pairs, when both players made a set. However, a cooler can also happen with other combinations, such as two pairs or a full house.
One of the common moves with pocket pairs is to go all-in preflop, especially with strong pocket pairs. However, identifying a cooler is quite a difficult task.
Let’s analyze another situation. Let’s say you have a low set. Your opponent makes a raise on the river. You choose to go all-in, and he calls. At showdown, it turns out that your opponent has a higher set, and he wins the pot. Both players were confident in their chances to win, but going all-in may not have been the best move.
If you had simply called, your losses would have been much smaller. All-in often expects a call from an opponent with weaker cards. To avoid losses, it is worth assessing the range of your opponent’s cards and analyzing his actions.
Frequently Asked Questions about a Set in Poker
To play with a set or trips in poker successfully, you need not only knowledge of the principles of making combinations, but also the ability to assess the probability of winning.
What to do when your opponent has a set?
To determine that your opponent has made a set, you need to pay attention to his behavior preflop and on the flop. If he starts raising on the flop, when the board is unpaired, and not that high, this may indicate that he has made a set. This becomes obvious if he thinks for a long time before making a decision preflop.
Trips, unlike sets, do not make players really happy. Because to make good money with Trips you usually need a high kicker.
What is the role of kickers in a set in poker?
Parts of the cards that do not form a combination, but are decisive in close situations, are called kickers. In the case of a game with a low Trips, it is recommended to have strong kicker in your hand, such as a king or an ace.
When two player make Trips or three of a kind on the board, the kicker is what determines the winner. In case the opponents have the same hands and equal kickers, according to the rules of poker the pot splits between them. However, such situations occur extremely rarely.
If you have a three of a kind and decide to raise on the flop, the chances of winning, depending on the kicker, are approximately 30 to 70.
The bluffing strategy with a three of a kind and a weak kicker is effective if there are three players in the game. If there are more players, there is a high probability that one of them will have stronger Trips and this will make the bluff useless.
What to do if you make a set on the flop?
In this situation, we cannot give a universal recommendation, since it is necessary to take into account many factors. If there are many poker players at the table, it is better to raise or bet so as not to give the opponents a chance to collect a more powerful combination. However, if you are heads up on the flop with a top set, you can use the check-raise tactic to provoke aggression from your opponent.
If two or three cards of the same suit appeared on the flop, or the board is paired, then you should make the turn card as expensive as possible for your opponents. Opponents who have draws will be forced to fold if pot odds are not good enough. There is a risk only in cases when the opponent has already made a straight, a flush, or collected a top set on the flop.
To play with a set or trips in poker successfully, you need not only knowledge of the principles of making combinations, but also the ability to assess the probability of winning. Since a set consists of three cards, there is always a chance that other poker players will have the same or better hand.