One of the less understood poker strategies is that of trapping. When playing poker, how many times have you been trapped by a more experienced or tricky player? We all fall into these traps from time to time… but why? How can we detect traps and avoid them? This article delves into poker strategy keys for setting traps, and detecting them.

First, what is a trap? A trap play is where an opponent with a strong hand represents weakness, luring their opponent into overplaying their hand. For example, I hit a nut flush (Ace-high flush) on the flop. I have the best hand at the table now, unless the board pairs (such that someone could pull a boat or four of a kind – not likely).

So, instead of betting it big, I might throw out a smaller bet or even check it (slowplay). Another player holding big slick (A-K) pairs up with an Ace on the flop, thinking he’s got the best hand so far. Another player has a small pair (e.g., 4′s) and picks up a set on the flop (assuming flop was something like 4-A-J).

Now, had I bet really big or raised back too early, the player holding the Ace would realize he’s trouble and the small pair would’ve likely folded pre-flop. Since I just checked it down, no reason to be afraid of me, since I’m obviously on some kind of a draw…

The person with the three of a kind (the 4′s) tosses out a bet of 4 times the blind. The guy with Aces calls it. After delaying slightly, I go ahead and also call it (why not, I’m getting decent enough pot odds).

So, I’m trapping them both at this point, letting them bet into me and just calling their bets. The same thing happens again on the turn, except the player with Aces drops out.

Now it’s just me and the set of 4′s. They bet big again, this time the size of the pot. Again, after a slight pause, I just call them “reluctantly”. Then comes the river, and they go all-in.

I immediately call them…oops! They’re sunk! What happened here?

These players never asked themselves two simple questions:

1) Why is he calling that raised pot (on the flop and turn)?

2) What hands might he be holding? What could he be
up to by calling my bets like that? Trapping? On a draw?

It’s crucially important to THINK before you ACT by understanding what the other players are actually doing. It’s also very important not to underestimate your competition, as there are some very wily players out there…

There’s a potential flush showing on this flop, and since I’m kind of “lurking” in this hand, it’s very suspicious behavior, and unlikely I’m on a draw calling those kind of big bets.

Unless you’re playing against a beginner or a drunk, there’s no reason to believe someone will likely call a raise that’s 4 times the big blind on a draw. That’s the first mistake – assuming another player has no hand and not realizing why they’re behaving as they are.

Second, the board is showing a possible flush – and both of these players aren’t holding it! Just because I didn’t bet on the flop does not mean I don’t have it!

Had either of these players slowed down and considered my betting (calling) behavior, and asked themselves these questions, they’d probably have realized what was going on. Whether the player with the set of 4′s could fold them is another story

Aside from a trap, what else could have kept me in this hand?

Traps aren’t easy to detect. When a good player calls a big bet, there’s a better than average chance they are trapping! You’ll also often see them delay for an unusually long time, as if they’re struggling to make a decision about calling your hand, then either call you, raise or go all-in. If this is indeed a good player, you now know almost for certain you’re being trapped (call) or warned (raise/all-in). If you don’t have the top hand at this point, you’re probably beaten.

This lengthy delay can be a great “tell” for traps and detecting strong hands, and is one you should learn to recognize. The delay is an attempt to make you believe they’re “struggling” to make their decision – do the opposite of what your opponents want you to do when there’s an obvious tell like this one.

Good players don’t usually call bets – they usually raise/re-raise with strength or fold. They don’t often waste their money on draws, so if they’re lurking in there with you, it almost certian it’s not out of curiosity…

If you aren’t spending twice as much time thinking about what your opponent’s hand might be, based upon their betting (calling) pattern and position and play history, you should be.

Your own hand strength is quickly and easily determined. Spend more time on your opponents, learning to read their normal betting patterns and skill level, then when they do something that doesn’t match their normal pattern, slow down and ask yourself why.

I hope this helps you become a better trapper (and avoid falling in yourself

Rick

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Braddy

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• Choosing The Right Online Poker Software

There are a lot of sites out there, and if you do not research, and read the fine print, you can end up with a bad first experience. The first thing you have to look for, is that you like the site on witch you are playing, if you do not enjoy your self at that site, it is like having a job, where every 30 minutes the boss shouts at you (I had jobs like that, and believe me it is not good)

You can take a look at, the graphics, and the atmosphere of the site, witch is very important.

There are many poker rooms, and you have the freedom to choose a good one. So before you sign up to a site, make sure you try them out first.

The second thing you have to look, is that the room has the games you want to play, and the tables are busy when you have time to play(maybe the black jack, is only busy when you sleep)

You want to make sure, that the stakes are comfortable for you, some sites start at high limits and some at low limits. It is also very important, to find a poker room where there is not much competition, experience players (sharks) want to find, rooms with inexperienced players.

You can check this by taking a look at the poker software for average pot and flop percentage information.Otherwise the sharks will eat you. Today, the online poker market is a very competitive field,there are more than 1000 poker sites to choose from,and you can take advantage of this, by choosing the best sites that offer one time, and reloaded bonuses, a lot of free stuff, books, odds calculator software.

Author: Varga Laszlo

Visit http://www.thepokertips.info to get your free Calculatem Pro poker odds calculator

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Varga_Laszlo

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Since no-limit Texas hold em has been popular, there have been thousands (literally) of variations on a preflop strategy that emphasizes playing tight in terms of playing only big cards and pocket pairs. There is a big fallacy in this that is exposed with various points gathered with poker probability, and the key to a preflop strategy that is capable of beating today’s tougher cash games and tournaments is the ability to exploit this fallacy. The following is the basic idea.

If a tight player open raises in early position and it folds to you in late position, which hand would you rather have: pocket Nines, Ace-Jack, or Ten-Nine suited? If you said pocket Nines because you would like to set mine, realize that you are only hitting a set once in every eight and a half times you call. If you said Ace-Jack because you would like to play high cards, keep in mind that if your opponent has pocket Aces, pocket Jacks, Ace-King, or Ace-Queen that you are dominated and even if you hit the flop you will probably either win a small pot or lose a big one. So what about Ten-Nine suited?

The fallacy exposed with poker probability is as follows: the middle pairs like pocket Nines and big cards like Ace-Jack hit the flop relatively unoften, but when you do hit, the strength of your hand is usually set in stone. That is, either you are forced to take lot of pressure in the case of a set, or you cannot take hardly any pressure like if we flopped a pair of Aces with Ace-Jack in the previous example. But with a suited connector, you don’t have to make a pair to hit the flop extremely hard. You can make straights, flushes, and all kinds of simple draws and combo draws to give you a super flexible hand to play. And most importantly, your opponent will have no idea what you have. If they like to bluff, you can call them down with your minor holdings, and if they like to call, you can value bet them with your showdown-ready hands that you hit fairly often. The point is that poker probability shows us that we are more likely to hit hands and draws with suited connectors than any other hand.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jesse_Eddleman

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There are some great resources out there for learning the rules, the hand rankings, and various texas holdem strategies. It’s well worth reading these materials. But to really ingrain the game in your head you need to practice these strategies. And it would be nice to do this without losing all your money. That’s where texas holdem training software comes into play.

Years ago, poker players didn’t have these types of training tools. But now, with the advances in technology and things like artificial intelligence, some of these training tools can really improve your poker playing ability without risking any of your own cash. Your computer opponents “learn” your playing style and adapt to it, making it tougher for you and forcing you to adapt and try new things, just like in a real poker game.

Another great thing about poker training software is the ability to practice a variety of strategies over and over again in the same situation.

Do you struggle with medium pairs like a pair of sevens?

Are you unsure what to bet and how long to stay in a hand when you get a potentially powerful starting hand like Ace Queen?

With training software you can play that same hand over and over again and test out different texas holdem poker tips so you can actually experience the effectiveness of various ideas. Want to know what happens when you make a big first bet with a pair of sevens? Play fifty hands in a row that way.

Another great thing about this software today is how quickly you can play a lot of hands. You can play about ten times (or more) as many hands in an hour with software as you could sitting down at a poker table.

If you want to improve your texas hold em poker you should really consider getting some texas holdem training software and spending a lot of time practicing various poker strategies and learning the game before risking any real money.

Author: Freddie Johnson

Learn more texas holdem poker tips and no limit texas holdem strategy where you can also get a free report and discover basic and advanced texas hold em poker strategies that will quickly and easily improve your texas hold em skills, allowing you to win more hands and more money every time you play poker ==>> http://www.texasholdemauthority.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Freddie_Johnson

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Poker tells are the heart of the people game in poker. To be successful, you must develop the skill of reading both obvious and subtle nonverbal cues exhibited by other players at the table. Being able to judge poker tells will greatly influence your betting decisions, protect your bankroll, and boost your winnings.

Knowing how to recognize a good hand of cards in poker is not enough if you want to become a winning poker player. Being able to judge your opponents’ hands is of equal importance. Almost every player has revealing tells that give away his or her excitement, worry, indifference and so forth. When you enter a poker game you need to continually observe the other players. A critical technique is to watch them when they are NOT participating in a hand. This will help you know what normal is for them when they are free of the mental and emotional work that goes into betting a hand. When you have a good idea of what normal is for someone, then their physical mannerisms, expressions, and quirks that could be poker tells will pop out for you more easily. This process especially begins to bear fruit when you regularly play at the same poker venue and you know many of the players. Of course, your more worthy opponents will be watching you too and you need to craft an even-keeled poker persona.

Although good players try to hide their tells or mislead their opponents, it is very difficult for any person to suppress all nonverbal communication. You might think you can put on a face that makes it difficult to determine what you are thinking, but can you hide what you are feeling? Even buried emotions can surface through nonverbal communication with the movement of eyes, lips, hands, posture, etc. To develop your poker persona, work on behaving the same whether you are in a hand or not. Be mindful of the way you act. If you are quiet and don’t use a lot of hand gestures, then maintain this when you participate in betting. Or, if you are a more outgoing personality, try to maintain your normal level of animation during betting instead of becoming abnormally still and focused. As you get better at monitoring yourself for poker tells, you can gradually become more artful with your performances and manipulate others.

Winning at poker requires a marriage of knowing when to play your cards and determining what your opponents’ are holding. Noticing poker tells is an important part of being able to read the probable value of the other players’ cards. This information will let you know when to bet and when to fold. It’s easy for beginning poker players to focus solely on their cards and not spend enough time studying the other people at the table. Poker is a mental combat just as much as it is a technical game.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Falbe

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