Hands and boards
Set in poker
Definition
Three of a kind made with a pocket pair and one matching card on the board.
A set is a very strong, well-hidden hand, because the opponent cannot easily put you on it. It is different from trips, which is made with one hole card and a pair on the board and is much easier for opponents to read.
You flop a set with a pocket pair about 11.8% of the time, so setmining depends on implied odds.
Example
You hold 7♣7♦ and the flop is K♥7♠2♣: you have a set of sevens.
Related terms
- Pocket pairTwo hole cards of the same rank, such as 7♥7♠ or A♦A♣.
- NutsThe best possible hand on the current board; no other combination of hole cards can beat it.
- Top pairA pair made with a hole card and the highest card on the board.
- Slow playPlaying a strong hand passively with checks and calls to induce bluffs or keep weaker hands in the pot.