The Art of Trapping in Poker

This is a gambling article about one of the most effective ploys you can use in poker – the trap. Trapping in poker requires savvy play. You must understand your opponent, have a good idea what he is thinking and consider what he thinks you are thinking. If the parts are in place, a good trapping play can relieve an opponent of their entire chip stack in a game like no-limit Texas hold’em.

What Is the Trap in Poker?

A trapping play is the opposite of a bluff. Instead of betting big to scare your opponent when you have a weak hand, a trapping player either check-calls or makes small bets in order to feign weakness when they have a strong hand, encouraging opponents to bet against them. This type of strategy is also called slowplaying. To play a strong hand aggressively would be considered playing it fast. Slowplaying is not to be confused with soft play, where a player intentionally plays weakly in order to protect another player who he is in collusion with. An ideal trap will go something like this: You play Internet poker and call a pre-flop raise with a hand like 8d 7s. The flop is 9c 5h 6s. The pre-flop raiser bets half the size of the pot, you think about it for a few seconds and flat call. The turn is the 2d. Now the raiser makes a pot-sized bet. After a subtle display of agony, you make the call. The Ah appears on the river. With any luck, the raiser bets again, hopefully enough to put you all-in or so that he is pot committed when you raise him all-in.

When Should You Trap at the Poker Table?

You should trap when your hand is very strong and it will be difficult for opponents to be ahead of you or draw out on you. A hand like Ad Ac on a flop of As Kd 3c is a good candidate for trapping. A hand like 8d 7s on a flop of Ah 8c 7c is not. Your two pair is probably best now but there are many turn cards that can put your hand in jeopardy. You may instead want to go for a check-raise here rather than a full trap, so you can protect your hand but still win a substantial pot.

Who Should You Trap In Your Poker Games?

You should be aiming to trap aggressive opponents. Some poker players are difficult to play against because they are moving lots of chips into the pot whenever they sense weakness. This is a perfect candidate for a trap. If you know an opponent will bet when everyone checks, you definitely want to check your monster hands into this player, and flat call their bets until you make your move on the river. You may even check the turn if no one bets the flop if you are confident this player will be unable to resist eventually taking a shot at the pot. Checking the river to trap can be dangerous since a player with a marginal but not great hand may check behind you for value. When it works however, it can pay off handsomely.