Texas Hold'em, the Flop and the Trips

Texas Hold'em is a game of tactics and intelligence. Of particular note is the flop, which is one of the most important moments in any round of Texas Hold'em. This is when a player ultimately chooses whether to commit or slink away to fight another day. Most poker tips in fact are based on figuring out whether or not a player should go to arms and throw in their chips. Reading the flop can contribute greatly to any player and their attempts to succeed and claim chips in Texas Hold'em.

The three of a kind in particular is a hand that can come out of nowhere, without warning and can easily derail most hole cards before they get a chance to develop. Commonly, the two methods of creating a three of a kind in Texas Hold'em at the flop would be "flopping trips" or "flopping a set". The latter, flopping a set, occurs when you hold pocket pairs at the onset, such as a pair of aces or a pair of queens and the flop gives you the third of the set. This is particularly deceptive, as your trio or three of a kind is effectively hidden from your opponents, who may even bet high if they think they have top pair at that point in the round.

An effectively similar outcome to this is if the flop gives you a pair that allows you to complete the trio. An example of this is when you are holding a king and a queen for your hole cards and the flop flips over to two queens and a ten. This seems good, but the game can easily betray you if another poker player has followed basic hand selection and Texas Hold'em tips and walked in with a pair of tens, because now they have a full house to bet you senseless with. The worst part is that you'll probably be betting aggressively at this point, playing straight into their hands and their pockets.

There are some times where forcing the issue with a three of a kind is a smart move and one that many Texas Hold'em tips will suggest. Sometimes, along with your trio, there may be a potential or draw straight or flush coming into play - for the players holding draw cards, do your best to kick them out or at least make seeing the turn or river fairly expensive and in your favor.