When Do You Slam the Door with Monster Flop

[lwestatbus]

I recently had two monster flops blow up in my face when I tried to string them along too long in small buy-in tournaments (the Stars $2.20 36-player satellites to the Sunday $200k). Hand #1 had me in late position, early in the tournament, several limpers, and pocket threes. Button did a min-raise to 2 x BB with five players to the flop. Hand #2 had me in the big blind, at about the 5th or 6th blind level, with pocket eights. The cutoff raised to 3 x BB with button and SB folding and I called.

In both hands I flopped sets on boards that were absolutely not threatening unless someone had an over set (they didn't). In both hands I was first to act before the pre-flop raiser (PFR). Both flops were rainbow, both were uncoordinated, and each included a single high card (either ace or king). I checked each flop (as did the other players in the multiway hand) and the PFR made a continuation bet. I called each and in the multiway pot the other players folded leaving me heads up.

Each turn added a card adjacent to one on the board. (E.g., on my set of eights a nine came on the turn.) In each case I checked the turn and the PFR also checked. Each river filled the PFR's inside straight draw, I bet out, and got hammered.

In each case I had intended to check-raise the turn but didn't have the chance. In both hands I was remarkably unlucky as only two very specific cards would have made the straight. In the blind steal the relevant cards were 8-9-10 with the raiser having J-Q. In my pocket 3s hand the board included J-Q-K and PFR had A-10. Neither hand had a flush possibility at the river.

How would you have played these hands or where did I go wrong? I would absolutely have hammered the flop if there had been any coordination on the board or any two suited cards but the threat just wasn't there.

[xDiamond_CutteRx]

Bet out the flop or the turn to avoid giving free cards. My philosophy when I have a set is I want to get paid off big, and for that to happen, the guy has to have something. So if you check the flop, check-raise there (not as strong as a turn check-raise, which basically just turns your hand face up), or just lead every street.

[Felting]

Bet out the flop or the turn to avoid giving free cards. My philosophy when I have a set is I want to get paid off big, and for that to happen, the guy has to have something. So if you check the flop, check-raise there (not as strong as a turn check-raise, which basically just turns your hand face up), or just lead every street.

what DC said.

Raise the flop, or if you've been folding the flop to a bet, c/r the flop and lead the turn.

[mortaleclipse]

This is villain oriented question. But in a nutshell you want to lead against unknowns. These low buy in tourneys no need to get trickey, just bet your hands.

[miaowmiaowchowface]

c/c c/r is screaming HELLO I HAVE THE NUTS so just donk the flop or turn

[xDiamond_CutteRx]

c/c c/r is screaming HELLO I HAVE THE NUTS so just donk the flop or turn

Yeah that play worked alright four years ago, but it's very obvious today and pretty much polarizes you to nuts or air against anyone with a modicum of experience.