Hitting a Set with Flush Draw Lurking

Before we begin you should know what the odds are of flopping a set with a pocket pair.  Check out the poker odds table to see exact probabilities of many situations like this.  I recommend memorizing those couple odds that are highlighted or at least bookmarking the page for future reference.

You will find out that trips will win you an extraordinarily large amount of money if you play it correctly. When you hit a set and there is a flush draw out there it gets a little tricky. The turn solely depends on how you are going to play this hand.

On the Flop

Most often you should go ahead and bet the pot on the flop if you nail your set. You don’t want to bet too much in case the flush turns and you don’t’ want to bet too little as to not get paid off when the flusher misses.  If you are in early position with a lot of players to act behind you a check raise is in order.  Make sure that on your check raise you raise a lot in hopes that only the player with top pair will call you and the drawers will leave.

On the Turn

When the turn comes and no flush comes this is where you want to go ahead and put out a large bet. Generally if the player is on a flush draw they will fold but if they do play you will get paid off. The chance of them hitting the flush with one card to go is slim.

Did they hit it?

Let’s say that the flush turns. At this point you have to replay the hand. Were they on the draw? Did they just have mid or top pair? In either spot you generally need to slow down at this point.  There are some online poker tells you can apply to help you with these decisions.  At CarbonPoker there are player animations and some players eminate tons of tells with these animated movements.

If the turn comes and you make your full house you want to check. If you check generally your opponent will bet into you. At this point you should just call hoping they catch a flush or improve their hand. If the river brings a flush then let the fireworks begin. Bet the house if you think they hit their draw and you will get paid off for checking the turn like you did.

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