Poker Trapping
Casino Games - Poker: Heavenly Poker Trapping, in poker, is a strategy for building pots you are heavily favored to win. Like bluffing, it is a form of deception, except. What Does It Mean in Poker? Trapping means betting weakly, checking, or otherwise playing a strong hand in a passive way with the goal being to trick other players into betting thinking that they can win the pot. “I decided to trap with my pocket aces, so I checked the flop instead of betting.” Also known as slow playing.
When we think about setting a poker trap, we often think about flopping a big hand and then playing it slow to trick our opponent. This can be a good strategy sometimes, depending on the board texture and the players involved in the hand with you.
But what about trapping yourself at the poker tables? Yes, this actually is a thing! And it is a big mistake that I see a lot of beginners making especially.
Here is a hand that demonstrates a good example of a player trapping himself:
In this poker hand from a micro stakes 6-max. online game we raise preflop with from early position. Now I have to say that normally this is just a routine fold for me. I don't think that generally we need to be playing this hand from this position.
The problem with this hand is that we could get called or raised by somebody behind with a better hand or one that dominates us (e.g., A-K, A-Q, A-J). Even more importantly, if we do get to postflop we will likely have to play the hand from out of position.
The Power of Position
As I talk about in Crushing the Microstakes, the two key pillars to success in poker are initiative and position.
Initiative basically refers to raising preflop and having the betting lead. We did that already in this hand, so that is great. However, we are unlikely to have position in this hand going forward, meaning that we will have to act first after the flop.
Statistically speaking, playing from out of position is a huge disadvantage in poker. You will make far more money when you are in position and therefore get to act last after the flop. This is why I highly recommend that you have a tighter starting hand selection range when playing from early position, middle position, and the blinds.
Conversely, if we were in the cutoff seat or the button in this hand, then it is a totally different story. You absolutely should be playing this hand from those seats.
Why? Again, it is all about position. From the cutoff and button we are very likely to get to act last after the flop. As mentioned, this is a huge advantage in poker and therefore we can afford to play a lot more hands profitably from these two seats especially.
Assessing Your Hand Strength Correctly on the Flop
In this hand only the button calls, and the flop comes pretty favorably for us — .
We have top and bottom pair. In most cases in no-limit hold'em, that's a very strong hand with which you want to play a big pot. However, this situation is a little bit different, because this flop board texture is extremely wet and coordinated. There are made hands that already beat us such as a straight or a better two pair, and there are also several big draws that have a ton of equity against us — e.g., hands like .
For these reasons, I would suggest taking the standard line in this hand by simply making a continuation bet on the flop. Our opponent is going to either call, fold, or raise.
If he decides to call, no problem. This means that he probably has a draw and we can continue to keep applying pressure depending on the turn card. If he decides to fold to our continuation bet, well, that is of course fine as well. We will just take the pot down. Nice!
Meanwhile if our opponent decides to raise our continuation bet, then we can just call and reevaluate on the turn. This allows us to control the size of the pot and not commit ourselves to playing a big hand just yet.
Don't Trap Yourself by Check-Raising
Another option in this hand is to check-raise, which is what we actually decided to do. But the problem with this decision is that we essentially end up trapping ourselves.
This is because, as I mentioned before, this is a very wet and coordinated board. And while we have a very good hand, we do not have the nuts or best hand possible.
When you decide to take a check-raise line in poker, you almost always want to be doing it either with the absolute nuts or as a bluff with a weak draw. You do not want to use a check-raise line when you have a middle of the road or even a good hand like we do. The reason why is because we do not want to play a big pot with hands like this.
We end up trapping ourselves in this situation because we often only get action from hands that beat us and we fold out all the hands that we beat. I often refer to this as a 'lose-lose' situation in poker. We don't win at poker by putting ourselves in spots like this. We win at poker by finding win-win situations instead.
You trap yourself in poker when the action that you take in the hand only gets you action from hands that beat you and folds out all the bluffs or hands that you beat. That's why the best course of action in this hand is just to take the standard line of betting the flop.
This really just boils down to assessing the strength of your hand properly on the flop. We do not have the nuts here. We have a good hand, but not the nuts. Therefore, we do not want to take a check-raise line and trap ourselves.
I want to know what you think, though. Let me know your thoughts on this hand in the comments below. Do you ever trap yourself at the poker tables?
Link mentioned in the video:
Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is a poker pro and the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes, Modern Small Stakes, and The Microstakes Playbook. He also blogs about how to beat the micro stakes over at www.blackrain79.com.
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cash game strategyno-limit hold'embeginner strategypreflop strategypostflop strategypositioncheck-raisingslow playingboard texturemicro stakes strategyonline pokervideo
Poker is not just a card game, but a game of people played with cards. As you progress through the stages towards poker expertise, you will experience moments when you realize how powerful this statement is. In this lesson we’ll be looking at some of the basic poker playing styles that exist and how to spot them. Whether you’re playing online or playing live, when you observe the types of decisions your opponents make you can really pick up on their tendencies, psychologically and emotionally – that can help you determine how best to play against them.
Poker is a game of observation. Therefore the first step to defining a player’s playing style is to observe their general tendencies. This factor is the central core of poker success. Learning your opponents’ proclivities is a must if you intend to become a winning player. Every action an opponent takes means something. Why from that position did player x raise or just call? It cannot be stressed enough to pay attention, especially when not in a hand (which should be the majority of the time) to learn how your opponents think and act.
Defining Poker Playing Styles
Each poker player can be broken down into two primary factors which will broadly define their playing style. They are as follows: tight vs. loose and passive vs. aggressive.
Tight vs. Loose
This first primary factor is shown in a player’s starting hand selection
- Tight poker players usually play a small number of only the best hands.
- Loose poker players will often play a wide variety of hands.
Being tight or loose doesn’t necessarily refer to how somebody plays their hand, but merely the selection of hands that they play. They’re either going to play a tight range of hands or a loose range of hands. How they play those hands – whether it is passive or aggressive – is going to dictate how you play against them.
Passive vs. Aggressive
A players passiveness or aggressiveness is displayed in their risk tolerance.
- Passive poker players tend to avoid confrontation and play with a fear of losing.
- Aggressive poker players raise more than call and are not afraid to put chips at risk.
By observing your opponents you’ll be able to categorize them based on what you see. Each poker player you encounter will have some degree in which these factors make up their personality but you have to start somewhere. The first step is to determine whether they are tight or loose. If an opponent folds most of their hands then mark them as tight. If they tend to play a lot of hands, mark them as loose. The next factor to determine is whether they are passive or aggressive. Do they call and check more often than they raise and bet? If so, mark them down as passive. If they bet and raise a lot you can mark them down as aggressive.
The Four Basic Poker Playing Styles
By assessing these factors you will typically see four general playing style combinations:
- Tight Passive
- Loose Passive
- Tight Aggressive (TAG)
- Loose Aggressive (LAG)
Knowing these broad characteristics will help you to figure out what a player has based on his betting action in a particular hand. If a loose-aggressive player is betting and raising you are less likely to credit him with a strong hand than if a tight-passive player raises or re-raises, since it’s something they don’t usually do.
Let’s examine these four basic playing styles in more detail:
Poker Trapping Rules
The Tight-Passive
A typical tight-passive player generally doesn’t play many pots and will often just call pre-flop when they find a hand they like. They will play so tight that when they do play, everyone else folds. So, when they have a good hand they can’t make any money. This type of player is sometimes labelled as a ‘rock’ or a ‘nit’ and the general style of play can also be referred to as ‘weak-passive’. They are easy to bluff and will frequently fold to scary board cards, such as an Ace. The really timid players can also be paralyzed with fear and won’t take shots. This is because they tend to play with a fear of losing. Observant players who have identified a weak, predictable player will always be on the lookout for situations that can be exploited simply because the tight-passive player folds too frequently to aggression.
The Loose Passive
Loose-passive players like to limp into lots of pots. They will call raises “just to see a flop” and will remain in the hand whenever they hit any of it, however marginal. They seldom take chances or become aggressive in their plays and they tend to be “calling stations” when they do. Their whole approach to playing poker is to watch and let others do the risking. Many beginners or even players who’ve played for a long time can fall into the trap of just calling, calling and calling. This is especially true in low buy-in games. They are very obvious to spot and are easy targets. Unlike the tight-passive players, you’re not going to be able to bluff them – you never want to bluff a calling station! But when you do pick up a hand that is fairly strong, you should bet for value and milk as much out of them as you possibly can.
The Tight Aggressive (TAG)
The tight-aggressive player generally doesn’t play many pots. They are selective and generally only play the best starting hands. Unlike the tight-passive players, a tight-aggressive player will play their cards strongly. They are patient and wait for the best opportunities to strike but they are not afraid of betting. The best tight-aggressive players are often labelled as ‘sharks’ because a tight-aggressive style is frequently effective, regardless of the game variation or betting structure. Most observant opponents will avoid clashing with a tight-aggressive player since they’ll assume that they have the best hand and will fold under the pressure.
The Loose Aggressive (LAG)
The loose-aggressive player tends to raise or re-raise a wide variety of hands pre-flop and will often bet on most flops. They can be extremely difficult to read because they play such a wide range of hands. In no-limit hold’em there are some very skilled players who employ a loose-aggressive style of play to great effect. They use their chips as weapons and are constantly applying pressure on their opponents. They will bluff a high percentage of the time and are hard to play against. However, at the extreme end of the loose-aggressive scale is the ‘maniac’ who seemingly raises without rhyme or reason. The maniac’s tendency to overplay his hands means you will almost surely show a profit in the long run against this type of player.
Tricky or Straightforward?
Be aware that nobody fits into very neat or specific groups. Once you’ve put players into an initial category you’re ready for the next step – which is to determine whether or not they are tricky. This is not always easy because poker players tend to fall on a continuum that ranges between extremely tricky and completely straightforward. However, it’s an important step because once you put them somewhere on the scale you can begin to intepret their actions with greater accuracy. For example, let’s suppose a tight-aggressive player raises pre-flop from early position. If he is a straightforward tight-aggressive then you can credit him with a strong hand, such as a premium pair. If you’ve determined that he’s a very tricky player then he might also be mixing it up by raising with two big cards or a suited Ace.
The key to all of this is observation. You really need to observe the players at your table and pick up on their tendencies and understand what type of plays and decisions they make based on their personality types. If you can, start to classify them into some of the groups we’ve discussed. It then makes your decisions a lot easier and more profitable.
The Importance of Aggression
Remember that poker is a game of aggression and this is especially true of hold’em. If you don’t want to be aggressive, then you shouldn’t play — or at least you shouldn’t expect to win. Poker is all about conflict and it’s not a game for the weak. This is why an aggressive style of play is critical to success. This is a central truth of the game that we all deal with every time we sit down to play. We’re trying to beat the other player and take their money. As the late great Jack Straus once said “I’d even bust my own grandmother if she played poker with me.”
There are obviously times when it’s good to be deceptive and just call pre-flop with a premium hand or check-call a strong hand after the flop. Even aggressive players do this on occasion, but the big difference is they’re mixing up their game – unlike the tight-passive player who only calls when they should probably raise, due to a fear of losing. As the old poker saying goes, “Scared money never wins“.
The biggest downside to a passive style of play is that it only offers one way to win the pot – when you have the best hand. An aggressive style of play gives you two ways to win – when you have the best hand and when you force your opponent to fold the best hand, thereby abdicating the pot to you. For example, if you were aggressive pre-flop, depending on what cards are on the flop, you can continue your aggression by betting and often winning the hand even if you miss completely.
Which is the Best Playing Style?
We’ve already discussed the importance of aggression and why it’s almost always best to be aggressive. A good solid strategy of tight and aggressive play is generally rewarded with a profit. There are some experienced players who have great success by adopting a loose-aggressive style of poker. However, for the majority of players a tight-aggressive approach is usually the most profitable. This style of play is also undoubtably the best way for beginners to start out playing poker since it teaches good habits such as patience and discipline. The tight-aggressive approach also works well as a “default position” and players often build a strong skills base by starting out with such a playing style.
Ultimately though, you should choose a style of play that is the most profitable for you and that suits your personality. In fact, your style of play at the poker table is often shaped by your personality away from the table. Some people can play very differently to their actual personality, but most will revert to type. For example, there are some players who we could label as ‘loose-aggressive/passives’ – these players will raise a lot of hands pre-flop but will often give up on the flop or turn. Typically these are former tight-aggressives or tight-passives trying to experiment with looser play but are not comfortable committing to their aggression – because it’s against their nature. So the best advice we can give is to find what works for you by playing poker and gaining experience on the felt.
It’s also important to point out that the best poker players adjust their style to the players at the table and the conditions of the game. It’s often said that if you’re playing on a table full of tight players then you should loosen up, whereas if you’re playing on a table full of aggressive players then playing a tight game and catching them in the act is an effective strategy. Always be observant of the players at your table and the conditions and adapt your style of play when necessary. It’s what good poker players do.
Poker Trapping Equipment
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By Donovan Panone
Poker Trapping Supplies
Donovan started playing poker in 2004 and is an experienced tournament and cash game player who has a passion for teaching and helping others improve their game.