Trapping in Heads Up Poker

Trapping in poker is a deceptive move made with a very strong holding. You appear weak to your opponent, for example by checking or betting a very small amount in order to get them to re-raise you. Once they do you spring the trap by getting all the chips into the middle. When a trap works you will end up with a big pot as a reward.  When it does not (for example if your opponent refuses to bet) then you may lose those bets that your opponent might have called.

There are several considerations unique to heads-up poker when it comes to deciding whether to set a trap. These are the lower relative strength of starting hands, the ‘texture’ of the flop and the tendencies of your opponent.

At a full table of 9 or 10 players you would only consider trapping before the flop with the very strongest holdings. Aces and maybe kings being the only candidates, even then you would need to be fairly certain that someone at the table would raise you before the flop – as the value of these holdings in multi-way limped pots drops significantly.

In heads up poker when first to act you are facing a single opponent with a random hand. Now trapping can be considered with a wider range of hands. This would include all the premium pairs and the strongest ace-x holdings too. After the flop, top-pair becomes a very strong holding in heads up poker. While at a full table you are likely to win a small pot or lose a large one with top-pair hands, in heads-up poker these are monsters that could potentially win your opponent’s entire stack.

Trapping with a strong hand in heads-up poker will depend on your previous betting actions and the reaction of your opponent to those bets. A good example is a raise from position. If you have raised the last few hands from the button and your opponent has called those raises or even re-raised you, then checking your monster hand would not make so much sense. The trapping play here is to raise as usual and hope your opponent chooses this occasion for a re-raise.

The texture of the flop is an important consideration when trapping in any form of poker. For example, you have 2 red aces and raised before the flop from position. Your opponent checks to you on the flop. Your decision as to whether to raise now or give a free card should depend on what cards came down on the flop. For example 8-9-10 of spades would not be a good flop to trap on – your opponent may have straight draws, a flush draw or a combination of a pair and a draw. Conversely a flop of 2-7-K of 3 different suits should probably be checked. Not only are you showing weakness – potentially getting your opponent to bluff the next street – but you are giving the opportunity for a hand that completely missed to catch up enough to call a bet on a later round too.

The tendencies of your opponent for betting, checking, and raising are an important consideration in deciding whether to trap in heads up poker. An aggressive opponent is ideal - they may well bet at the slightest sign of weakness and then continue to bet throughout the hand. Let these types build the pot for you before re-raising on the turn or river. If the trap works here you could be in a great position to win all of your opponent’s chips. Conversely, a passive opponent may not build the pot for you – in this case the better trapping play might be to make small bets that they are likely to call with weak holdings in order to maximize your profit.

To summarize, trapping in heads-up poker can be attempted with a much wider range of hands than at a full ring table. The important considerations are your own previous betting patterns, the texture of the flop and the tendencies of your opponent. Make sure that trapping is the play that will maximize your profit on the hand before you try it.