Should you slowplay top set in no limit hold'em when the pot size is small and there are straight&flush draws?

Answer 1

I agree with the first answer - top set is a great hand, but if there are draws you need to protect your hand and make the draws pay to see the turn and river. If the pot is small I personally would make no less than a pot sized bet with this hand.

Answer 2

When you pull off that perfect bluff and you take down a monster pot with rags it's a great feeling. It's a similar feeling when you slow play a monster and some idiot donks off half his stack with the second best hand. Unfortunately some people get addicted to this feeling and chase it too much.

Top set is an excellent hand to have on the flop, and if you just limped pre-flop it is very well disguised. But two or three cards of the same suit, or straight possibilities have to make you think. The last thing you want to do is to let someone draw cheaply to a straight or flush only to let them hit it and beat your trips. Once they make their hand you are dead unless you can pair the board for a boat or hit the extremely unlikely case card to make quads.

So generally speaking you really want to be careful with a set. It is better to win a small pot than lose a large pot. If you allow someone to hit their flush or straight, it's going to be very hard for you to lay down top set, and that's where you are going to lose a bunch of money.

I tend to recommend a pot sized bet if there is a good chance of a flush or straight out there. It's all about the texture of the board and the information you get from other players.

Answer 3

Almost never. I played in a tournament last night where I slowplayed pocket aces, bringing it in for a min raise pre-flop on the button. I wanted people to think I was stealing. An ace hit on the flop, but so did two diamonds. He checked and I bet a quarter of the pot and got called. The turn was a blank, he checked, so I bet the pot and got called. The river was a diamond and I couldn't BELIEVE he'd keep calling with nothing but a draw. He fired, I thought he was full of crap and I called. Turns out he had the flush, with a 7J suited of all things, and I was down to 280 chips. If the flop gives you top set but there's a four flush or short straight out there you gotta make it too expensive for people to even THINK about getting lucky. Maybe you'll only win a small pot, but better than losing a big one. The exception is if you're in a rammin' jammin' game, and you think your opponent will bet big no matter what. Check to him and let him fire. Then go all-in. If you've got position and he checks make a min bet and wait for his raise before going over the top. If he opens big you're in great shape, that's dead money! But do that only if you're against a maniac.

Answer 4

No, they still have to make their flushes and straights, you dont and the odds are that they problably wont so bet it up and make them pay to play because most of the time they are going to lose and you are going to win. The determining factor here though is that you are in control because you have the nuts (at this time). Play aggressive.