People love online poker, plain and simple.  Why do so many come to the virtual tables to challenge the sharks out there?  Because they believe that it is a game that’s purely chance, that anyone can win at poker, and to some extent that’s true, but the legend of the village idiot savant that wins and wins because he’s lucky is just that: fiction.  The ability to play the cards you’re dealt, even if they’re not the ones you want, is what separates the good from the bad poker players.  If it’s true that your true personality is revealed during hard times, then that goes double for poker players who can play well even through a dry spell at the cards.

What does this have to do with avoiding traps?  You have to know when cards look good but could still get you in trouble.  Let’s say you’re holding Kd5d and the flop comes down: Ks9d10d.  How are you going to play this?  You might be too smart for yourself and play very aggressively because it’s got two things that make it stand out: it’s got a top pair and it’s the second best nut flush draw.  It’s also got two things that make it not that great: it’s the SECOND best nut flush draw and the kicker is weaaaaak.  There’s also the thing where a Queen or Jack could drop and complete somebody else’s straight.

New players will be dragged into calling this hand when action starts getting played on the table, and it’s easy to see why.  They’ll see those two diamonds on the flop and think that’s it, they’re in.  It’s a very playable hand but it’s a check and call hand in a full game, not a bet-and-raise one.  Other players could have hands that are only slightly better looking from their end of things, but they immediately nullify your play in the game.  Someone might have AdJd, for instance, or QsJc, or even Kh10h.  They’re not spectacular hands, but they’re certainly good enough to play on the flop and beyond, especially as they get some spectacular draws.

Don’t assume your opponents are carrying pocket rockets and the like, but you have to assume that they’re playing in a manner similar to you a lot of the time.  Wouldn’t you play with each of those hands and be aggressive?  If you know that the other players are weak (if they’re just calling stations or sticking around because darn it, they paid that big blind) then you can push a bit harder, but top pair is frequently not enough to really bring home that bacon.