Poker Strategy - Detecting and Setting Traps
By Rick Braddy

Traps aren't easy to detect. When a good player calls a big bet, there's a better than average chance they are trapping! You'll also often see them delay for an unusually long time, as if they're struggling to make a decision about calling your hand, then either call you, raise or go all-in. If this is indeed a good player, you now know almost for certain you're being trapped (call) or warned (raise/all-in). If you don't have the top hand at this point, you're probably beaten.

This lengthy delay can be a great "tell" for traps and detecting strong hands, and is one you should learn to recognize. The delay is an attempt to make you believe they're "struggling" to make their decision - do the opposite of what your opponents want you to do when there's an obvious tell like this one.

Good players don't usually call bets - they usually raise/re-raise with strength or fold. They don't often waste their money on draws, so if they're lurking in there with you, it almost certian it's not out of curiosity...

If you aren't spending twice as much time thinking about what your opponent's hand might be, based upon their betting (calling) pattern and position and play history, you should be.

Your own hand strength is quickly and easily determined. 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 their normal pattern, slow down and ask yourself why.

I hope this helps you become a better trapper (and avoid falling in yourself :)