Best online poker games on Launchpoker.com

  A lot of time and server space is consumed telling players how to get the chips of their opponents. Unfortunately, not nearly enough effort is spent informing players about the ways their own stacks will be attacked. Often the assumption is that if we know what to do, automatically we also know what not to do. Just watch any tournament where a seasoned pro will mutter under his breath, "I shouldn't do this" before calling a big bet, and then they find out too late that their instincts were right: they shouldn't have done it.



  The old ways of figuring out the fish are gone. In the old days a fresh, unfamiliar, and young face at a table was like ringing the dinner bell for experienced players. Today so many kids have played hundreds of thousands of hands before they are old enough to walk into a casino that when they do reach the age that the Bellagio will welcome them, they are seasoned poker players. This means they can lay a trap as good as any other player on the planet.



  A simple trap that even pros like Daniel Negraneau have fallen for is being sucked in by somebody with a great hand. The strategy is simple, they limp in, check, and only call bets in the early goings of a hand. Once the pot is big enough, or they feel that their opponent is emotionally invested in the pot, they suddenly turn from a docile shitzu into a pit bull. This is when a player has to do what is probably the hardest thing in the world for them: lay down their hand.



  The board will give you a good indication of what is going on. Look at the cards that are at the table and figure out how many ways there are for an opponent to beat your hand. If there are two or three viable scenarios and you feel you are being sucked into a trap, then there is a pretty good chance that is exactly what is happening to you. The lay down may save you money, save your tournament, and allow you to live another day.