trips vs flush/str8 draw

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Originally Posted by Ripptyde

This is why I like to raise the pot on ANY pair...nothing huge...but enough to make the pot 'interesting' keeping a few players in...then when the set hits on the flop....I 'take it down' with a pot sized bet or call a medium sized bet from someone early in the rotation.

If a set is always an automatic take-down I think you're losing money here, particularly if you were the pre-flop aggressor (representing big cards or a big pair.) Sure, if the flop is single suited a takedown is pretty much nessisary (if they got the flush, so be it, pay them off and take the odds on upgrading to a boat or quads up.) Two suited you need to consider the size of the field and if the (weakened) flush or straight draw is out there to pay you off. Just like there are some hands I'm willing to push all-in with, there are some hands I'm willing to slow play a little. A set on a fairly safe flop is one of them. On the flop, you're almost always way ahead. Sometimes you're not that far behind and only a bigger set really destroys your hand.

I've only laid down a set once, that was on the river with the board showing 4 suited cards and it was a good laydown. Short of such exceptional circumstances, I'm taking a set to showdown. My biggest concern is not if I have the best hand, but how I get as many chips in the center of the table given the particular situation (players.)

Originally Posted by Ripptyde

when I say raise on any pair...I mean to imply when I have have pocket pairs. 55, 22, 77 etc....sleeper sets like this can take down humungous posts sometimes....for instance >

You have 7s7c

Player 2 : Ac/Kc

Player 3: Qh/Qd

FLOP: Ah/7h/9h

Now what do you think the action is going to be here ? hehe

but consider your odds here going into the turn and the river.....your hand may look great but what happens with 2 cards remaining ?? Remember it can always go south in a heartbeat.

I'll take that flop for $1000, Alex.

77 bets out with 21.
Big Slick thinks about it, then either folds or goes all in.
Canadian Aces might call, but will probably gets the heck out of dodge, particularly if Big Slick goes over the top.

or..

Big Slick bets out a little.
Canadian Aces thinks about a call here
77 goes over the top with 21
Both other players think about calling, but probably fold.

All and all I'm likeing my odds here.

However, if Big Slick has the king of hearts, he probably will be willing to put all his chips in the center.