Poker Trapping

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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.

Trapping your opponent in poker. Dec 15, 2015 3:00 AM Irene Edith. Trapping is just the opposite of bluffing. Instead of mucking his cards, you want your opponent to stay in the pot – perhaps. Top 5 Beginner Poker Traps 1) Playing Too Many Hands Before the Flop This is the biggest trap of all easy-to-fall-into traps for new poker players. New players play far too many hands pre-flop. Poker traps are a topic that I don't think is addressed nearly enough in many articles and publications. While every professional poker player is usually highlighted by their ability to set, spot and avoid traps, most amateur poker players rarely know when they are about to get pounced on until it's too late.

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:

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.

By Donovan Panone

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.

Beating the game of poker, and consistently moving up in stakes is a long, complicated process. Like they say, “if it was easy everyone would do it” but the reality is that only a small percentage of dedicated poker players reach their dream of dominating the mid or high-stakes games.

There are a wide range of factors why most players never make it to the top of the mountain but this post focuses on 4 of these reasons.

The “roller coaster ride” bankroll trap

The first trap I want to discuss is by far the most controversial of the 4 that I’ll be covering in this post. I know that a lot of poker players will disagree with me on this one but hear me out.

The “roller coaster ride” bankroll trap is a trap which I have fallen into many times and only after making significant adjustments to my game was I able to get out of it. The trap works like this; you play in games where you are under rolled vs. crazy, loose aggressive players that are willing to risk it all with very little equity. These are the guys that will call thousands of dollars with a flush draw or top pair. Right off the bat this sounds like a dream situation but the issue here is that this environment results in massive swings because of the high variance of the game. The reason I consider this a trap is most non-professionals are willing to get their money in as a small favorite and let the math work itself out in the long run. The problem is if you are playing in games where large amounts move across the table, and you aren’t able to absorb the blows, then you will be cleaned out both financially and emotionally.

If you have over 50 buy-ins for your limit then go a head and gamble it up, I’d even argued that this is the better approach since you want to take a more aggressive line when playing against loose players. If you are under rolled then you will need to make certain adjustments to limit the variance and build a bankroll which can absorb the swings.

How do I get out of the “roller coaster ride” bankroll trap?

There is two main ways to get out of this trap. The first is quite obvious, play in games which you can afford from a conservative bankroll perspective. If you like your regular games and don’t want to go through the headache of finding other games then you’ll need to make the following adjustments:

• Tighten your range – you want to prevent bleeding and aim to play large pots where you have the majority of the expected equity.
• Bring more dough to the game – I know this isn’t always an option for players but if you can come with more cash to the game then you’ll feel more comfortable and be able to play through the variance. Most importantly you’ll be able to top up your stack as the game gets bigger which will allow you to win a massive pot when things fall into place.
• Start making big folds – You flop a Q high flush draw vs. three players and now you’re facing a raise and a re-raise. You can push and hope for the best or you can fold, what should you do? Unless its early stages in the game or you’ll short stacked and facing an opportunity to triple up, you should probably fold and wait for a better spot. Remember, you have the edge, committing in situations where you are breaking even is not a smart strategy.
• When you have it bet huge – Punish the weaker players for chasing by betting very big and committing yourself when you believe you have the hand close to locked.

Playing this style isn’t very sexy but it works and will make a world of difference to your results.

The “multi-game” trap

Becoming a winning player at Texas Holdem and reaching the upper levels of the skill pyramid takes huge effort, discipline and years of dedication. If you are spreading your efforts across multiple types of of the game you will be throwing a spanner in the works which I recommend against.

It’s best to become a one trick pony and master a single type of poker until you have reached your current poker goals.

How do I get out of the “multi-game” trap?

Forget about PLO, 5 card draw, Stud and any other variations of poker for now, they aren’t going anywhere but you need to be focused.

Focus your efforts on beating Texas Holdem (the most popular variation of the game in the world) and reaching a buy-in level which satisfies your poker goals. Once you’ve reached this point you can start thinking about mastering a new type of poker.

The “I’m happy where I am” trap

The only way to become a consistent winner at mid or high stakes games is to get your skill level to a similar level to the winning players at these stakes. This won’t be possible if you don’t compete against better players which can only be found at higher stakes.

Many consistent winners get comfortable at the stakes they are winning at and don’t bother to try to move up the stakes. I call this trap the “I’m happy where I am” trap simply because if you had to ask these players why they don’t want to move up this is what you’ll most likely hear.

How do I get out of the “I’m happy where I am” trap?

The solution is simple, sit down and add a poker goal to your list which includes taking a shot at the next stake. So if you are a regular at 10NL then take a shot at 16NL or 25NL. Make sure you are implementing correct bankroll management so you have a 10 – 20 buy-in shot at the stakes you want to try, plus enough that if you lose those buy-ins you can fall back to your regular stakes, and still have enough to play through an unexpected downswing.

Another tip is to play a combination of your regular stakes and the next level. So if you play 4 tables of 10NL then play 2 tables of 10NL and 2 tables of 16NL or 25NL. This way the transition is a bit smoother. If you use tracking software like Holdem Manager then you can track your wins or losses at the new stake and cut them out if you lose more than the 10 – 20 buy-ins you allocated to the “shot”.

The “I’m a slow learner” trap

While some players might be too conservative, others are overly aggressive in their attempts to move up in stakes. These players will dedicate a large portion of their bankroll to trying to beat the mid or high stakes games, fail to beat the level, fall back down or take a break from the game for a period, and then redeposit and try again.

I’m calling this the “I’m a slow learner” trap because these players have failed to grasp an important concept in beating poker, that it is a long-term process which can be approached systematically.

Poker Trapping Games

How do I get out of the “I’m a slow learner” trap?

The way to get out of this trap is to implement one new rule to the way you approach poker. This rule is to not attempt to move up in stakes until you have beaten your current level for a significant sample size. That sample size should be in the tens of thousands of hands. Only after you’ve reached a win rate you are happy with, and done it over a relevant sample size (north of 30k hands) can you be confident that you are a winning player at the stakes you play. Once you’ve done that then you should definitely start taking shots at higher stakes.

Have you ever fallen into one of these traps? What did you do to get out of it? Let me know in the comments section below.

Poker Trapping Sites

Good luck at the tables.