Poker Traps

Poker is a game of many variables, each as important as one another, and whether you are a seasoned professional, or a rather awestruck novice, don’t fall victim of the traps that lie in wait during the course of a poker game. A major temptation of players when playing Texas Hold Em is that they tend to play big cards (that is cards with high numerical value) with a low kicker. One of the most difficult poker traps to avoid is knowing exactly when to lay down a strong hand, they get blinded by greed, and a strong hand is either drawn and the beaten by the kicker, or is beaten outright, thus snatching a victory away. In no limit games, when someone has made a huge raise, you can be rest assured that they will be feeling pretty confident to do so, and whilst you may have a strong pair, that player may have two pairs, or one pair and a high kicker. Given that kickers come into effect in the event of a tie, it is imperative to know when to quit while your ahead.

In a no limit or pot limit game, a grave error can be made if a player draws on a flush, or an open ended straight, because as soon as an opponent makes a substantial bet, this then throws the over confident players odds way out of sync. A classic rookie mistake is when they have a pair of aces, start betting and riling another player to get more bets, only to be slammed with a full house. As a general rule of thumb, when the board pairs a full-house (or quads) is the best hand, not the Ace flush.