For players who are new to the strategy of trapping, it can often be difficult to know when the right time is to set a trap. First and foremost I should point out, that the type of player you are up against is just as important as your situation in a hand when it comes to trapping.

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Let us say for example that you flop a flush in a Holdem game, and are thinking of trapping an opponent. I would certainly advocate the play in some circumstances, as the danger of the flush is so glaringly obvious with a suited flop. If you wish to trap with this type of flop, and you find your opponent raising I would go ahead and reraise rather than flat calling. The reason for this is that often you might be against an opponent drawing to a bigger flush (unless you already have it yourself). Whenever you consider setting a trap you should always be considering what chance there is of your plan backfiring. Of course you want your opponent to catch up a little, but if they make a bigger hand than you somehow, then you will find yourself in deep trouble and end up wishing you had played the hand strongly.

If you happen to be against a type of player who has been playing very conservatively and folding most hands, I wouldn’t advise slow playing here because the chance of your opponent bluffing at the pot are minimal. If we take our aforementioned scenario of flopping a flush, the danger is too much for this type of player to even attach much value to top pair either, so you are often better just raising and taking the pot there and then I feel.

Your prime target player for slow playing, is an aggressive player with chips to burn. You can easily get this type of player to try and force you out of a pot in this situation if you show weakness. So in general terms you should have a mental note of which players might be susceptible to this type of play, and always be aware of how your trap can plausibly backfire.