Whether you just play free poker or play with house sized buy-ins the Set is one of the hardest poker hands of all to read. A Set is made ip of a pocket pair plus one of the Community cards that has the same rank as your pocket pair. For example, if you have 5-5 and the Board reads 5-4-10-J-K, you have a Set of Fives. Sets are unreadable because most players are accustomed to reading (a) two different hole cards, (b) high cards or overpairs, (c) draws that complete the Board, or (d) cards anyway related to the Board cards.

Our hand reading habits generally a mix of limiting possible hands to the given characteristics of the board/community, how would you put someone on 5-5 or 4-4 when it is much easier to put him on A-K (for top pair, best kicker), A-Q (for a made Straight), or K-10 or 5-4 (for Two-Pair), or even A-A (a high pair)? Or maybe you’ll put him on one Five, say, 6-5. But on two Fives or two Fours? This is why Sets are very potent in Boards which have no Straight or Flush potential.

But lets suppose in a Flop of Q-7-2 with no Straight or Flush possibilities, you have 3-3. You check (hoping to trap him), the other player bets. You raise all in then he immediately calls and reveals Q-Q. You thought your opponent had A-Q or K-Q. How is this possible? It’s possible. Even in this spot you are more susceptible.

Since there are no Straight or Flush potentials your opponent will fold cards that didn’t fit into the Board cards. If you read hands in line with the criteria above, you might put your opponent on A-Q, K-Q, or even Q-7 (can you go as far as 7-2?!). Here because you are the one who moved all-in, the outcome of the hand is not fully on your control; it’s up to whether your opponent calls or not. But suppose the situation is reversed. The player with the Q-Q checks, you bet, then the response is a raise all-in. What would you do?

When you find yourself slammed in a situation like this (which usually occurs on the Flop) on a cash game, take it as it is. Pay him off. Another time you will have the Q-Q, another player will have the 2-2, and you will be paid off. But in a tournament, you have plenty of givens to consider (and you might want to consider these even in an ordinary cash game). Compare your stack sizes relative to each other. If the difference is great, expect one of you to put his chips in the middle.

A Set may be the best hand both of you can have to get a double-up. If you possess the smaller Set get eliminated, attribute it to bad luck. However, assuming both of you have stacks above chip average, and you are put to a decision costing you all or virtually all your chips. You have 2-2. You aren’t likely to be blinded out in a few hands.

You may want to reason out: I have a Set. He raised me enough to put me all-in, or almost. He may do it with Q-7, (and whether your opponent had Q-7 or not will depend on what happened preflop. If no raise occurred it may be with Q-7, and you can safely call. Whether the other guy had 7-7 or not can also come under similar scrutiny) or if there is a raise, it may be with A-Q.

Now, top pair, top kicker is a weak hand to risk an above-average stack. And there’s no Straight and Flush incoming, so the all-in could be made only with an especially strong hand. It might also be with A-A or with K-K (most probably it is) but it might also be just with Q-Q. If I put him on those three hands, there is a 2/3 chance I’m right, but a 1/3 chance of wrong, and when I’m wrong I will be busted. So I’ll fold.

If you possess the middle Set (Set of Sevens), the same analysis may also apply. But you will be a lot safer because there is only one Set to kill you instead of the two possible Sets a while ago. If you possess the Set of Queens, enjoy! The above analysis is agonizing and painstaking, particularly when it all amounts to giving up one of the most valued hands in Hold’Em.

Reading Sets Summary

If you are new to poker then know this seems a lot to take in, the fact is though that while poker basics are easy to learn it is harder to be good at things like reading hands. For this reason most low stakes and NoPayPOKER.com tables are inhabited by manic “chip flingers” who can’t be bothered to learn. They are happy to play for what they think is fun when in fact it’s a lot more fun to win money

Ironically the fact that so many players play at this low skill level is excellent news for you. That’s because once you learn to play poker with above average skill and are able to combat the “all-in-all the time” donk maniacs then you can take them apart in coldly calculated massacres anytime you like. This can mean really good easy money in low stakes money online games and in free online poker tournaments games that pay out real cash such as those found at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com.

As ever practice makes perfect so read, understand and play free poker tournaments to learn how to play poker tournaments good and get your skills finely honed.