The psychological effects of receiving a set can be physical, social, and emotional, depending on the individual. The phenomenon of receiving a set is also referred to as the Trott phenomenon after the psychologist Edward Trott.

The Trott phenomenon is the result of playing a single card game against a human opponent. After receiving a certain number of consecutive unbeatens, the human player is likely to "set" or " Complete " the game, which is to say, to persuad the player to surrender by providing a set sequence of cards that beats the player's current hand.