Facing 3-bets while set-mining

[Max]

Hello everyone,

I just have a general question, how to approach with pocket pairs (22-99). I just started playing and cant find any good answers to this in the www 😉
If I set mine I call a 2-5x bet, right? But what do I do when a player behind me 3-bets the initial raiser? When do I know I have to fold, and why?? Is there a rule of thumb?

Thanks a lot!
Max

[Randy Brown]

With low pairs, you really want to see the flop and turn cheaply. Unless you are playing rather deep and sense that a lot of other players will call a 3-bet, you probably should be folding more often than calling. You’ll miss sets more than hit.

[John S]

It’s a fairly easy question, but there are a few different answers depending on who you talk to.

Set mining isn’t about the size of the bet, it’s about the effective stacks of the players involved. (Some people are confused by what effective stack means. It is the smallest stack of all the players in the pot. If one player has $1,000 and one has $5,000, the effective stack is $1,000. It is essentially the most one player can win the the hand). The idea is that you have enough money left behind so that what you make when you hit is more than the times when you miss.

The odds of flopping a set is around 1 in 8. This means that, at a minimum, the effective stacks need to be at least 8 times larger than the raise.

The disagreement is how many times bigger the effective stack should be in relation to the bet size you have to call. I’ve heard people say anything from 10x all the way up to 20x and sometimes even more.

So, why more than 8x? Well, you have to consider the times when you flop a set and don’t get any value, the times you only get a little bit of value, the times you lose (set over set, lose to straights, flushes, etc). You also have to consider the times you miss your set, but flop a lot of value and can win other ways (66 on a 457 flop, can make the straight and win).

I generally like to have around 12x behind when I set mine.

On 3-bet pots, you need to remember it’s the amount raised, not the amount of the bet. So if you raise to 15, and someone 3-bets to 50, you have to call 35. So it’s 35 x 12 –> meaning you need 420 effective after you call the 50 for this to be profitable.

[Max]

Thanks to both of you!

@John: Super good explanation. Will definitely take it into consideration in the future set mining situations 🙂

[Alexander Wiggins]

Yea what John said. In general i want to see a flop with a small-mid pocket pair. I’ll open in any position with a small-mid pocket pair, hoping to see the flop heads up and c betting with added range advantage. i’ll call an open preflop bet with a small-mid pocket pair. I rarely 3 bet a S-M pocket pair unless i think i can get a heads up coin flip with the preflop raiser (this is more tourney specific scenario and way more likely line of play if i have them well covered). And i’ll call a 3 bet with the intention of a) set mining, or b) out playing my opponent(s) post flop flop IF i have position.

Be willing to open with pocket pairs, but focus on pot control beyond that. That means do not 3-4 bet (because you cant stand Reraise shove and you’re likely behind if you get flat called)

[Alexander Wiggins]

The reasoning behind all those lines of play is that pocket pairs are the easiest hands to play, by far. If you flop a set you know your good. If over comes, especially within the range of your opponent, its an easy fold.

[Author]

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