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Poker strategy: cheat detection and placement

One of the most misunderstood poker strategies is trapping. When playing poker, how many times have you been caught by a more experienced or complicated 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 the keys to poker strategy for setting and detecting cheats.

First, what is a trap? A cheat play is where an opponent with a strong hand represents weakness, enticing his opponent to exaggerate his hand. For example, I hit a null flush (Ace high flush) on the flop. Now I have the best hand on the table, unless the board pairs (so that someone can take out a pot or four of a kind, not likely).

So instead of betting big, you could roll a smaller bet or even check (slow play). Another player who has big slick (AK) pairs with an Ace on the flop, thinking he has the best hand so far. Another player has a small pair (eg 4) and flops a set (assuming the flop was something like 4-AJ).

Now, if he had bet really big or raised too early, the player with the ace would realize he was in trouble and the small pair would probably have folded before the flop. Since I just checked, there’s no reason to be afraid of me, since I’m obviously in some sort of tie…

The person with the three of a kind (all 4) posts a bet of 4 times the blind. The guy with Aces calls him. After falling behind a bit, I go ahead and call too (why not, I’m getting decent enough pot odds).

So, I’m trapping you both at this point, letting you bet on me and just calling your bets. The same thing happens again on the turn, except the player with Aces folds.

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

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

These players never asked themselves two simple questions:

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

2) Which hands could he be holding? What could she be?
even calling my bets that way? Capture? We draw?

It is vitally important to THINK before you ACT when understanding what the other players are really doing. It’s also very important not to underestimate your competition, as there are some very cunning players out there…

There is a potential flush on this flop, and since I’m “on the prowl” on this hand, it’s very suspicious behavior, and I’m unlikely to be in a draw calling those kinds of big bets.

Unless you’re playing against a beginner or a drunk, there’s no reason to believe that someone is likely to call a 4x big blind raise on a draw. That’s the first mistake: assuming another player doesn’t have a hand and not realizing why he’s behaving that way.

Second, the board shows a possible flush, and these two players don’t have it! Just because you don’t bet the flop doesn’t mean you don’t have it!

If any of these players had slowed down and considered my betting behavior (calling), and asked themselves these questions, they probably would have figured out what was going on. Whether the player with the set of 4 could double them is another story 🙂

Aside from cheating, what else could have held me back in this hand?

The traps are not easy to detect. When a good player calls a big bet, there is a better than average chance that he is catching! You’ll also often see them lag for an unusually long time, as if they’re struggling to make a decision about calling your hand, then calling, raising, or going all-in. If this is really a good player, he now almost certainly knows that he is being caught (call) or warned (raise/all-in). If you don’t have the upper hand at this point, you’re probably beat.

This long delay can be a great “flag” for cheating and detecting strong hands, and is something you need to learn to recognize. The delay is an attempt to make you believe that they are “fighting” to make their decision: do the opposite of what your opponents want you to do when there is an obvious signal like this.

Good players don’t usually call, they usually raise/re-raise hard or fold. They don’t tend to waste their money on giveaways, so if they’re stalking you, it’s almost certainly not out of curiosity…

If you don’t spend twice as much time thinking about what your opponent’s hand might be, based on your calling pattern, position, and play history, you should.

The strength of your own hand is determined quickly and easily. 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 your normal pattern, slow down and ask yourself why.

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

Haystack