How NOT To Play a Set on a Scary Board

2007 was a fantastic year for poker…

Poker players in that time were living the dream (and probably taking it for granted) for a number of reasons:

• The industry was booming
• There was a constant influx of new, recreational players
• Big online sites like Full Tilt and PokerStars still operated in the US

But perhaps most importantly of all, High Stakes Poker was going strong in the middle of it’s 4th season.

In my opinion, season 4 of High Stakes Poker was the peak of poker television. It was the only show that pitted high stakes pros (like Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine) against notorious whales (like Jamie Gold, Guy Laliberte) for massive amounts of money. This combination led to some very memorable and entertaining hands, and the one below between Sammy Farha and David Benyamine is no exception.

The hand starts innocently enough with a small pre-flop raise followed by 4 calls. The flop checks through, but the action picks up on the turn when the 2♣ gives Sammy a set but completes David’s straight flush. What follows is a lesson on how not to play a set on a scary board.

Ok, without further ado, here’s the hand along with Doug Polk’s analysis of each decision:

Learn more about post-flop play with my Postflop Engine by clicking below.

(Note: Want to learn to play your flush draws like a high stakes poker pro? Check out Doug Polk & Ryan Fee’s FREE guide, 20 Rules for Playing Flush Draws in 2017, by clicking below!)