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A Boat (Poker)
A boat in poker (or Trips or Set) is three of a kind, that is three two's all the way up to three Aces. Hitting a boat in poker, particularly Hold'em can be a money spinner, particularly if one of your opponents hits top pair with a strong kicker. They will often find it difficult to lay down, thus increasing the amount of money you make from the hand.
If you hold a pair pre flop, up against one player without a pair, you are the favorite. For instance a pair of 7's (unsuited) against AK (suited) will win 51.95% of the time (55.25% is AK is unsuited). You are about an 8-1 shot to hit your boat pre flop, so every 8 pairs that you play, you will hit one.
Medium and small pairs are always a danger as many players overplay them and up against even a big ace, it is a coin flip at best. The problem arises when you miss on the flop. With a pair of 7's you are likely to have over cards and you really won't know where you are without committing more of your stack to find out.
The best way to play small and medium pocket pairs, is to get in cheap and see a cheap flop, if you hit, you are quid's in and if you miss and face a bet (with over cards), fold and wait for a better hand. Of course there are certain scenarios where you may want to take a more aggressive stance, for instance in the later stages of a tournament where if you have less than 10 times the big blind you would probably look to move in.
How to Play A Boat in Hold'em
There is no one correct way to play a boat or trips, in Hold'em. First of all it really depends on what game you are playing, limit or no limit. In limit games, you really do want to be extracting as much money as possible from your opponents. Are the players on the table tight or calling machines? If you hit trips and you think your opponent has a piece of the flop, raise it up. You are not going to go bust and you can get to showdown a lot cheaper than in no limit Hold'em. If you think that a bet is going to scare your opponents off, check the flop and pull the trigger on the turn or river (or both). Be mindful of your scare cards and don't go crazy when there is a potential flush or straight on the board. If there is and your opponent is betting into you, either call the bet(s) if you think you could still be ahead, or fold. Don't get married to your hand.
In no-limit Hold'em, the stakes are increased (quite literally). Now you have to be a little more thoughtful as one wrong more could cost you your stack. The way you would play trips depends firstly on what you have and secondly on the board cards. For instance if you hold 2(d) - 2(h) and the board comes 2(s) - 5(s) - 9(s), you would need to be careful of the flush and possible gut shot. You would probably want to put a feeler bet out there to see where you are. Just remember that whilst trips is a good hand, it is easily overturned.
If the flop doesn't pose any threat, you should be looking to extract as much money as you can from your opponents. If you bet out and your initial bet is called, you may want to check raise as a check would likely see a bet. Either way, be mindful of your scare cards and if you think you might be beaten, fold the hand.
Remember if you miss on the flop, the chances of you hitting on the turn or river is 4% so you are a massive underdog - don't through your chips away chasing miracle cards.
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