Laying a trap can be fun and can also be extremely rewarding… sometimes. Other times, however, trying to trap your opponent can get yourself in very hot water. Unfortunately, many players think that because they have the best hand at the moment, it is unlikely to change if they give their opponent free cards and that is very often not the case. Most players try to trap far too often and it usually does more harm than good. There are a number of strategies you can utilize to make trapping work and avoid trapping yourself.

The first rule is only to trap when you have the nuts or something extremely close. If you flop quads, trap. If, however, you flop top pair top kicker and there is a flush draw on the board, it is probably not the best idea to try to trap your opponents. With a hand like quads, you can be 99.99% certain that you have the best hand and that no one is going to out draw you. That is not to say it is impossible because I have seen it happen but it is extremely unlikely and the money is most certainly on your side. With top pair, however, there are so many cards in the deck that can most likely make an opponent’s hand and make it better than yours that trying to trap will very often lead to disaster for you. Instead, make a sizeable raise and try and push any drawing hands out of the pot.