FLOP A SET? BET IT?

Scenario: You've got 7-7 in the big blind and have called a preflop raise from a tight player. The flop comes down A-7-5 rainbow. You are first to act
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Tip: Got a set? Bet it!
Why? : Think about the hands that this solid player would raise with. The chances of him having A-A are slim. You have probably put him on a strong ace (A-K, A-Q), so he has made his top pair with a solid kicker. You know that if you bet out, he'll probably reraise you thinking that he has the best hand. At this point you have the player exactly where you want him and soon enough, all his chips will be in the center of the pot heading your way.
Players fall in love with big aces such as A-K (hence the name Anna Kournikova), so take advantage of this situation.
Always remember that you need to get the most out of your big hands. Flopping a set to your opponent's top pair is a great way to accumulate chips very quickly.
However, let's look at a different situation. Once again, you have 7-7 and call a preflop raise from the big blind. The flop comes down 10-7-5. Your middle set is very strong, and you also know that your opponent probably doesn't have a 10 in his hand. What to do here? Check.
Why?: Once again, you put your opponent on a strong ace. He's got nothing, just ace high. Checking here will result in one of two things:
1. Your opponent will take a stab at the pot. You then come over the top and he folds. Even better than that, your opponent could have a big pocket pair and think that his overpair is good.
2. Your opponent will check. Hopefully your opponent will improve on the turn and you get paid off on your hand.
However you act, make sure that you think of your position in the hand and all the possible hands that your opponent could have.
Be careful with suited/straight flops: If there are three clubs on the board, there is always a chance that your opponent raised with Ac-Kc and could have you dominated at that point in the hand. If you feel that he only has one of the suited cards, bet enough so that he is not getting the right price to call on the draw.

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