Any woman who has ever had the misfortune of hooking up with somebody at a Star Trek convention knows how disappointing something can be when it starts off looking promising, but just explodes before it even gets off the launch pad. This sort of premature lift off also seems to plague less experienced poker players who let their excitement get the better of them when the hole cards show promise.
These types of hands are referred to as trap hands. They are to the poker player what acme products are to Wile E. Coyote. The problem is that they are largely traps of our making.
How this works is that somebody in early position gets hole cards like a King/10, and lets their excitement over seeing a King get the better of them. They play aggressively from that early position and force everyone at the table to react to what they have just done.
A King/10 is a very beatable hand. After the flop it is very possible you will find yourself with the second or third best hand at the table. Pulling the trigger early has just cost you some money.
A King/10 from the proper position can be very good. Using it in concert with a mid to late position to drive others out of the hand can work. Your King and moderate kicker will do better in the short handed situation your position has helped create.
From an early position, limp in if you can, and try to see the flop as cheaply as possible. The most common trap hands are as follows: AT, AJ, KQ, KJ, KT, QJ and QT.
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