In some cases you could consider making a light four-bet as well. As I mentioned off the top, this isn't really enough for me to want to call here and set mine, which is why I would suggest simply folding in this spot. Unfortunately the recreational player only started the hand with about 40 big blinds.

All of the times when you call, miss your set, and then have to fold can start adding up in a big way. Since you will simply have to fold most of the time when you miss your set, you can probably already see why it is important to have the right odds. In other words, you will only hit your set around 12 percent of the time. The first reason why you need to have at least 15-to-1 on your call is because you are roughly 7.5-to-1 against even hitting your set.

Why Do They Need to Have So Much in Their Stack? For example, if the preflop bet is $4, then in order to call, I want my opponent to have at least $60 in his stack before I try to 'set mine' with my pocket pair. What I mean by this is that your opponent needs to have at least 15 times the amount that you need to call in his stack. I typically suggest having at least 15-to-1 odds on your call when set mining. 'Set mining' refers to calling with a small or medium pocket pair with the hopes of hitting a set and winning a big pot. One of the biggest mistakes that I see a lot of newer poker players make is set mining without the correct odds.

Texas holdem poker odds preflop