Question for experienced Texas Holdem players.?

Question

What do you do in determining if your opponent hit a set (trips)?

Answer 1

Trips, three of a kind can be hit two ways.

A "Set" which generally means the player has a pocket pair and has caught a third card in the flop giving him three of a kind.

"Trips" usually means three of a kind, and for now  let's say that the player had a non pair in his hand and the flop showed a pair, and one of his cards matched the pair giving him "trips".

Observation of the players at a table is critcal to winning in Texas Holdem, and you should always study each player and develop a picture of their playing style. As you play watch for deviations of this style in specific hand situations.

A set is a powerful hand and is extremely hard to detect if well played. However many players will give off a tell with such a powerful hand, since they are sure they have a winner.

You may even see their hands shaking, or the vein in their forehead swell.  They may stop talking and assume a poker face, or start talking trying to act casual. On the flop, watch for a quick check (much faster than normal in past play) when the action is on them, or a slow decision to call a raise, usually acompanied by bad acting. Acting weak when they are strong. Any sudden and significant change in past behavior is suspect. On the turn or the river, depending on the action, a strong raise or reraise can be a tipoff.

Trips can be a bit easier to detect. Much of the above applies to them, but often the player will bet the trips if the pair is matched with a high card in the flop. Most players will not be scared off with such a bet, since they assume there are no trips, and if they have a pair including the higher card on the flop, then they will call. Again, observe the player for those tells I mentioned above. Calling or betting on a weak river card is a tip off, same as with the river. And of course watch out for the big raise or reraise.

A lot of players know these tells, and with big hands they may give off a "false tell" to sucker you in. Be careful!

And some players will try to bluff with a pair on the flop, even though they do not have the trips. But usually these players are acting strong, and agressive, again a tell, because they are representing the opposite of what they have. Another change of playing style to watch for.

Keep in mind, most players think other players are bluffing far more often that they really are. The better players seldom bluff, so that when they do, it is more effective.

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Answer 2

Well one thing is if they go in when they see a card that they like.  It is a natural human response.  They do not always wait a turn and then go in.  Because it is just a natural response not to wait.  And when they see something they like they may change expression to look more serious.  Just watch for these signs.

Answer 3

Read the player for any tells.  If you don't see any, place a small to midsize bet and see if they raise.  If they raise they either hit or are trying to bluff..........it depends on how they have been playing during the game to help you decide which it is.  If you can't beat their trips, fold to the raise.  It's better to fold to a bluff then to loose big to a better hand.

Answer 4

this is one of the hardest things to do, unless you come up against a novice.

all you really can do is pay attention, VERY CLOSE ATTENTION, to the game.  notice how people bet, how they act, how they react.  when you notice something different, your red flags should go up.  

for example you play with someone for a couple hours who only bets when they have a hand, and when they do bet they bet a lot to make sure no one catches up to them.  suddenly you notice they bet small, or just call you, this should tell you something right away.  when this happens you should take control and make them expose themselves (i.e. raise them a small amount and see if they come back over the top).

and remember it is not always a bad move to fold a winning hand (some people have a very hard time with that).

Answer 5

IF THEY BET ALITTLE THAN A LOT THEY ARE TRYING TO TRAP U OR THEY BET ALOT

Answer 6

nice try Tammy and Harry, but you are only partially correct. If you are playing less experienced players the biggest tell is the size of the bet they make or variations of their betting patterns, for novice players these are the most likely tells you can pick up on. I am assuming that you are a novice player so my suggestion to you is that next time you run into this situation and you think you have run into a set, place what is called a feeler bet or value bet on the river if there is still betting (no all in yet) A 50% of the pot bet is a good sized bet. If the player comes over the top you have to make a decision. who has the better hand...if you can make that decision consistantly then you are in for fortune and fame. good luck at the tables.

Answer 7

Usually a combination of physical tells and betting patterns will let you know if they've hit the board in a big way.  Read Caro's Book of Poker Tells, and Read 'em and Reap for a better understanding of physical tells.  When it comes to betting patterns the thing to understand is that a player with a set does NOT want you drawing to a straight or flush.  So if the flop comes with a rainbow and he checks or makes a minimal bet, but then starts throwing out pot sized bets when a second suited card comes on the turn, you can be confident he's trying to protect his hand.  If he looks bored, totally disinterested in the hand when he bets the flop, but takes on a much more aggressive posture when he bets the turn with a flush draw out there then you can be pretty confident that he's holding a set.  He doesn't want to scare you off the hand when he's certain that he holds the best hand, but he doesn't want you to call and possibly put him in a position to make a difficult decision on the river.

Answer 8

You will practice at www.twilighttables.com, you'll find all your answer there.

Answer 9

the only way is by memorizing their betting patterns. most people will bet the same way on the same type of hands, and usually they will go by % of the pot. It's nearly impossible to tell if a person goes all in and their remaining chips are less than the current pot what they may have in their hand.

examples: a sneaky, tight aggressive player will usually check or bet 1X the BB.

a loose aggressive player will nearly always check a big hand.

an average player will bet 1/4-1/2 the pot (large bets generally mean weaker hands.)

most players will reraise with trips unless there is a flush draw on the board. to protect their trips, many players will bet .75-1X the pot to chase out the flush draws.

If there are three suited cards or connected cards on the flop, trips will usually call it down, and start reraising if a pair hits the board (meaning they hit quads or a fh.)

As you can imagine, many of the betting patterns above can be mimicked by a bluffer. Therefore, the only way to tell is by memorizing the other player's betting patterns and hands they have shown in the past. As a general rule though, most players except habitual bluffers will bet their hand. if somebody reraises big, and they're not a known bluffer, they probably have a big hand.

Answer 10

if he hums, he is bluffing. if he opens up Oreo cookies and eats the white before the chocolate he has trips