When Shouldn't You Be Set Mining In Poker?
Set mining is a popular concept in Texas Hold 'Em poker, and refers to the process of calling a pre-flop raise with a low pocket pair (usually 55 and below) with the intention of hitting a set. Beginner poker players tend to abuse this concept way too often and use it to justify poor players on their part. Here are a few common scenarios when you shouldn't be attempting to set mine.
1) Do not set mine when you are in early position.
If you in early position, such as in the small or the big blind, you should not be set mining unless both you and the pre-flop raiser have at least 180+ big blinds. The reason being that if you are out of position, you will stand no chance of throwing your opponent off his hand if you miss your set, thereby restricting your chances of winning to only those situations where you do hit your set. Keep in mind that your opponent isn't signing a contract that says "I pledge to go all-in if you hit a set", which is why it is almost never a good idea to set mine if you and the pre-flop raiser have only one buy-in - you will not be getting paid off in the long run.
2) Do not set mine if your opponent is loose-aggressive.
The reason for this one is that loose aggressive players tend to, as we all know, raise quite often. His pre-flop raise is by no means an indication of what he is holding and he could basically have anything. This means that even if you do hit your set, you are highly unlikely to to get paid off, as he will be folding to most signs of aggression on your part.
3) Do not set mine if you have a tight image at the table.
If your image is tight, everyone is going to fold to your first sign of aggression. That is why tight players usually don't do too well at set mining. This doesn't mean, however, that you should be playing extremely loose and calling every other hand. If you are a beginner who plays the micros, you are absolutely correct to be playing tight. Just keep in mind that if the other players are aware of your image, they aren't going to give you any action once you hit your set.
Hopefully this will have been of some use to you and will have shown you that you shouldn't be insta-calling all pre-flop raises with low pairs - there is much more to set mining than meets the eye. Always thing twice before making a call, take a look at your opponents and at yourself, try to decide whether you are going to get paid if you actually hit your set and whether you have a chance of getting your opponent to fold if you don't hit your set. Do all of the above, and you will see an improvement in your win rate very soon.
Set mining is a popular concept in Texas Hold 'Em poker, and refers to the process of calling a pre-flop raise with a low pocket pair (usually 55 and below) with the intention of hitting a set. Beginner poker players tend to abuse this concept way too often and use it to justify poor players on their part. Here are a few common scenarios when you shouldn't be attempting to set mine.
1) Do not set mine when you are in early position.
If you in early position, such as in the small or the big blind, you should not be set mining unless both you and the pre-flop raiser have at least 180+ big blinds. The reason being that if you are out of position, you will stand no chance of throwing your opponent off his hand if you miss your set, thereby restricting your chances of winning to only those situations where you do hit your set. Keep in mind that your opponent isn't signing a contract that says "I pledge to go all-in if you hit a set", which is why it is almost never a good idea to set mine if you and the pre-flop raiser have only one buy-in - you will not be getting paid off in the long run.
2) Do not set mine if your opponent is loose-aggressive.
The reason for this one is that loose aggressive players tend to, as we all know, raise quite often. His pre-flop raise is by no means an indication of what he is holding and he could basically have anything. This means that even if you do hit your set, you are highly unlikely to to get paid off, as he will be folding to most signs of aggression on your part.
3) Do not set mine if you have a tight image at the table.
If your image is tight, everyone is going to fold to your first sign of aggression. That is why tight players usually don't do too well at set mining. This doesn't mean, however, that you should be playing extremely loose and calling every other hand. If you are a beginner who plays the micros, you are absolutely correct to be playing tight. Just keep in mind that if the other players are aware of your image, they aren't going to give you any action once you hit your set.
Hopefully this will have been of some use to you and will have shown you that you shouldn't be insta-calling all pre-flop raises with low pairs - there is much more to set mining than meets the eye. Always thing twice before making a call, take a look at your opponents and at yourself, try to decide whether you are going to get paid if you actually hit your set and whether you have a chance of getting your opponent to fold if you don't hit your set. Do all of the above, and you will see an improvement in your win rate very soon.
