When to Show Your Hand

[RcrdBoy]

I find that showing the rocks doesn't work, at least at low limits.

From $4/$8 B&M to .50/$1 and $1/$2 on line there is almost always a player that "has to see."

I'm just trying to make sure that most of the time it isn't me. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

-Mike

[Hiding]

I just finished a 10+1 SnG in first (yay!) But was heads up with some woman who kept begging (literaly) for me to show my cards. Her curiosity made her call all the way to the river and sometimes through it. After burning her a while, she would call to the river and fold. It gave me the easy first letting her curiosity kill her.

[OnlinePokerCoach]

I never show my hands. Keep your opponents guessing. You probably play tight enough for them to notice that you are tight anyway. Showing AA or KK, etc. when it is folded to you in BB is harmless. You may or may not gain a tiny edge by showing in certain circumstances (and it is tough to know when the right time is), but you will always be giving away information.

[krazyace5]

One time I do like to show my hands once in a while is when I am heads up in a tourny, and we are fighting for blinds, I will show them my pocket pair or AK(when they let me have their blinds) so they will be less likely to call the next time if I try to take their blinds with garbage. Any opinions on this? Do you think it makes a difference?

[crockpot]

the only time i'll show is when i'm at a stage of a tournament where i really want to steal a lot of blinds, i get dealt a big hand and raise preflop, and everyone folds. since i'm raising the same amount every time, this may get them thinking "he may have kings here" and induce an extra fold or two.

this may not have much of an impact on how my opponents play, but it doesn't require much effort, and i figure it can't really hurt as long as i keep playing the same way regardless of my hand strength.

[slavic]

I occassionally will show people the nuts just to let them believe I ONLY play the nuts

No that's not what they will think. What they think is "oh this time he wasn't bluffing".

In general I try not to show. Sometimes Bernie gets the better of me and I show but rarely. A week ago I screwed up and showed a hand that I wish I hadn't of, I had limped UTG with a pair of 3's in a 20/40 game 6 callers and the flop hit : 8 2 2 I bet and said I had to protect my two pair, an EP player looked at me and said "yea your 2 pair of two's" as he mucked, and it folded all the way to the button who called. He's real loose and will play almost anything for multiple bets. Post flop he plays weak.

The turn is a K I bet, he raises, and I 3 bet, he thinks a long time. 2 minutes later he finally convinces himself that I may have played something with a 2 and flashes K8o as he mucks. Someone at the table says lets see the Quads, and I say just to pair as I flip up the treys. The player and his buddy both left the game, which was horrible for me and the rest of the table. I should have been horsewhipped.

So show if you have to, but in general muck it and move on. If someone asks you what you had just tell em two aces.

[jmark]

From my experience at low limits:

I think alot of people do this because they're proud of what a nice hand they have and want everyone to say "wow he's such a good player to make that flop give him a set".

Similarly alot of players flash their cards before they fold for sympathy, "aaw that's too bad your backdoor flush never came through". Many people just view it as a fun game and aren't trying to get in your head.